REVIEW: Flight1 CESSNA 421c GOLDEN EAGLE

Well as per my recent postings, I've had a bad run in buying some pretty bad commercial add-ons lately, strangely, they've all been Airliners which is a double blow as they're my favourites!

Never mind, I decided to look for something that I could use to replace my beloved BARON 58 with, as there are very few flying hours left on the engine, due to the World Tour (which is still on South-East Asia at the time of writing).... and I found that replacement in this GREAT add-on.

The Cessna 421c was originally a FS2002 add-on but the developers have done a good job at converting it for FS2004 and there are some alternative files that you get that upgrade the resolution of the external model (only recommended if you have a powerful computer).

The first thing you notice is that this small craft looks like the Baron. Well that's a good start, so what next... well on a loading up my first flight the first thing that hit me was the SOUND.... It's good... REALLY good.... the engines are by far the most realistic sounding Twins that I've heard on FS2004... Open the throttle and they dampen a little first as the air rushed into the engine, then scream to full power... Very good sound indeed.

Next is the 2D cockpit... it is very well laid out and there is space to open up some other pop-ups.... my only initial complaint was that the straight ahead visibility was poor for landing as the dash is quite high... but alas, you can click on the edge of the dashboard in 2D mode and you get a special 'Approach version' with excellent visibility - now that's a nice touch... The 3D cockpit is also EXCELLENT, and a special treat is the fact that you can make the most of CTRL+ENTER, and CTRL+BACKSPACE, as you can move your view into the back of the plane, and enjoy the ride from the gorgeous leather seats at the back of this 6 seater... In effect therefore, this plane has a 'virtual cabin' although it doesn;t brag about it in the ad. It's a nice touch... We have great avionics, a good AutoPilot that is a little more realistic than the magic ones in some of the default planes and EXCELLENT hand flying modelling.....

If you want to upgrade from one of the default TWIN PROP planes in FS2004, this is an EXCELLENT add-on and I couldn't recommend it enough. My only criticism of the whole package is that the GPS (which is generally an upgrade to the default one), does not have a working PROC button (it's there but isn't modelled), so you cannot load up and view GPS approaches.... but hey, this is a plane for touring in and for mainly flying VFR in, so it doesn't ruin the experience.

So, as sad as I am to say it, when the Baron 58 lands home in Newcastle, UK from the World Tour, it will be retired in favour of this graceful 'Golden Eagle' !