SHARPEN YOUR FLIGHT SKILLS
Its new controller is a game changer!
Building on their established industry benchmark for flight simulators, RealFlight has released version 9 of their popular RC flight simulator software. Having had the experience of reviewing RealFlight 8 and the RealFlight 8 Horizon Hobby edition, I was asked to test out and report on this latest offering from Horizon and Knife Edge software. I have tried just about every RC flight simulator on the market as they were introduced, and trust me: computer processing power, graphics cards, and software have come a long way since the days of the clunky graphics and ratcheting movements of the early flight sims. Now we have photorealistic graphics and virtual reality run on home computers that are hundreds of times more powerful than those that got us to the moon and back. In my opinion, RealFlight has always been at the head of the pack in terms of physics, realism of the graphics, and the authentic “feel” of the models being simulated, and they remain on the leading edge with the release of RealFlight 9.
WHAT’S NEW?
While the flight physics and scene rendering appear to be largely the same, there are several new additions that were rolled out with the RealFlight 9 release ranging from obvious to subtle.
The first and most obvious difference is the Spektrum Interlink USB remote. If earlier versions of RealFlight had one drawback, it was the lack of switch flexibility on the Interlink remote.
With RF9, the Tactic-style controller is gone, replaced by a Spektrum Interlink that has the familiar look and feel of the popular Spektrum series of transmitters.
The new Interlink controller might be worth the upgrade in and of itself! With improved design, it not only feels better in the hands, but its features surpass the old Interlink, which had only three switches, two sliders, and a rotary knob. The new Spektrum Interlink controller has a full complement of seven switches, with five of the switches being 3-position; a rotary knob; and two rearmounted sliders. The new design includes a momentary button on the top where the bind button normally resides, as well as the familiar programming scroll wheel.
The reset button works like the old version: press to reset, press and hold to rewind your last few moments. This new controller has a switch on the back that allows you to change from the default Mode 2 to other stick modes.
New too, with RF9: a batch of E-flite, Hangar 9, and Hobby Zone airplanes, as well as
Blade helicopters. Some of my favorite new models are present, including the Havoc Xe EDF jet, the 20cc P-51 Mustang, and the Cub Crafters 60cc Cub, to mention a few.
The AS3X-equipped planes are excellent preparation for flying trainers and other models equipped with the SAFE system. They help to develop the muscle memory for activating the various SAFE and AX3X flight modes.
The new additions bring the total to over 160 different models for RF9 users, including airplanes, helicopters, and drones. Many have several iterations, such as different power plants and color schemes. Over 40 flying sites of every imaginable type are available with 3D sites, photo fields, and a couple that you can fly at night. If you’re a compulsive tinkerer, you can edit any of the existing aircraft or flying sites, or import models that others have created. The ability to edit and import gives you virtually unlimited options for models and flying sites.
Another new feature with RF9 is a series of virtual flight instruction videos. The display shows your model and a representation of the transmitter, showing the stick movements as you follow the steps. As you master each level and progress to the next, the lessons increase in difficulty. The technology is at the point where even without access to a club using a SAFE-equipped aircraft such as the Apprentice, a user progressing through the virtual flight instruction lessons would have a high chance of success.
WHAT’S THE SAME?
Like RealFlight 8, the RF9 program is insanely easy to install and setup. Just put the CD in your drive and follow the prompts. Once it’s installed, click the launcher and the home screen allows you to choose one of several options such as training or scenarios; or you can pick a model and a flying site, and then get straight to it. Most of the program can be navigated without ever reading the manual. You can also register your program and download the latest fixes and updates with the launcher.
All of your favorite flying sites and aircraft are back, along with the new additions. The flight physics are as good as ever, flying both airplanes and helicopters. Scenarios are the same as previous versions. A scenario allows you to choose one of the options, for example, “Float Flying.”
For this scenario, the program
loads a float-equipped airplane at a flying site that features water. There are scenarios for aerotowing, slope soaring, 3D flying, and more, to get you flying quickly.
Progressive game-like challenges are similar to those in RealFlight 8. You must master the easier levels before you can advance to those of greater difficulty. Fair warning: These challenges can consume an entire afternoon before you remember that you should have been mowing the lawn
(as I was sternly informed). In my case, it was the racing challenges that kept me obliviously engaged.
Online flying with your buddies is back, and remains unchanged. You can host a session or join sessions hosted by others around the world. Most evenings, there are plenty of these sessions with different themes, or you can password-protect your own hosted session and limit it to your friends. It offers lots of options and it’s fun to see what others are up to online.
Camera views are extremely flexible. The typical groundbased fixed view is, of course, the most useful for actual RC training, but if you feel like entertaining yourself you can try other camera positions. You can put yourself in the cockpit of a P-51 or Yak, and several of the models have a high level of cockpit detail. There are quite a few to choose from.
RealFlight 9 also maintains a similar minimum hardware requirement as previous recent RealFlight versions. Modest systems and laptops will have no trouble running the software, but gaming systems like my Alienware will run it with all the graphics options maxed out.
Speaking of graphics, if the quality is turned up, they are quite stunning. Smoke, shadows, reflections, and sun glare are all there. Other options that you can’t see as easily are configurable as well. You can set wind speed and direction, vary the wind with gusts, and the sailplane pilots can make thermals plentiful or hard to find.