REVIEW: Wilco Fleet BOMBARDIER CRJ add-on

I took delivery of this new add-on last week - it's just come out in the UK, and you can pick the boxed version up for £14.99 from Play.com

I've spent around an hour with this plane, so early days but first observation is that neither graphics nor sound are anything cutting edge, and are certainly not up to the 737 NG sort of standards.

However, the flight dynamics of this plane seem really realistic.... Clearly, I've not flown the real thing but this plane feels right...

You know how some jets and turbo-probs can pitch up and down just too quickly, making it feel like a game, rather than a real sim ? Well this plane behaves as you'd expect for it's class, which is nice...

Three models are featured, the CRJ 200 / 700 / 900 .....

A good set of PDF manuals is supplied but I have to say I applaud manufacturers who supply more printed material with their commercial add-ons... and this is not one of them!

In use the plane presents itself as not a million miles away from other mid-class commuter jets - the AutoPilot is quirky and operates a little different to Boeing and Airbus systems but you can soon get the hang of it.... Same goes for the FMC, which again is not as thorough as the NG's system, or the Just Flight A340 system... it's similar to that in the Just Flight DASH-8.... it does the job in terms of navigation....

BUT THE REAL BONUS TRACK WITH THIS PACKAGE IS.... :-

That you get a 'real world' video with it - 33 minutes of real action in an Austrian CRJ cockpit... one Take-off roll is featured along with 4 landings, and the Pilot talking through the FMC for 20 minutes... This is fascinating stuff and to be honest, I'm glad I bought this add-on just for this video ! The fact that it starts with a gorgeous Austrian female First Officer making her pre-flight checks is yet another added bonus.. 😂

So if you're an Airline fan, this is a steady, if not ground-breaking add-on that will give you a new fleet (in primarily North American liveries) for yuor FS hangar. As above, I will not fly this often but I'm glad I bought it for the video footage of the plane in action.

I prefer the DASH-8 for my commuter runs and will use it more but if I have a headache and don't fancy the sound of props, I'd maybe fly some time in the CRJ... for me though, I feel it could be a long wait for something to come along that will tear me away from the 737NG. This add-on certainly does not threaten that.