Just Flight - PA-28-181 Archer III for X-Plane 11/12

Just Flight, in partnership with Thranda Design, are proud to present the PA-28-181 Archer III for X-Plane 11.

Following on from their award-winning PA-28R Arrow III, Hawk T1/A Advanced Trainer and C152, this highly detailed simulation of the PA-28-181 Archer III has been developed by Just Flight's in-house team following comprehensive, hands-on research with a real-life Archer III, G-CIFY, based at Turweston Airfield.

The PA-28-181 Archer III is a four-seater, piston-engine aircraft equipped with a fixed tricycle landing gear, 180 hp four-cylinder engine and fixed-pitch propeller. Certified in the mid-1990s, the Archer III is one of the most recent PA28 variants to be built, reflected in its streamlined cowling and cockpit overhead panel controls. Capable of cruising at 118 knots and with a range of nearly 500 miles, it is an ideal aircraft for touring and flight training.

The cockpit features an impressive suite of avionics for instrument training and IFR flights, with a GNS 530 GPS, GNC 255 radio, S-TEC autopilot, HSI and ADF instruments.

The Archer III is flown all around the world and in addition to our UK research aircraft, G- CIFY, the product features liveries from the USA, Canada, France, Australia and Germany.

The PA-28-181 Archer III for X-Plane 11 features PBR materials with real-time environment reflections for superb quality and realism, HD textures for the highest possible texture clarity and numerous animations including a multi-animation passenger door that, when open, responds to G-forces and air resistance.

Model

• Accurately modelled PA-28-181 Archer III, built using real-world aircraft plans and comprehensive photography of the real aircraft


• Numerous animations including multi-animation passenger door that, when open, responds to G-forces and air resistance, baggage door, cockpit window and sun visors


• Ground equipment including chocks and tie-downs


• HD textures are used to produce the highest possible texture clarity


• PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials with real-time environment reflections for superb quality and realism


• Detailed normal mapping for down-to-the-rivet precision of aircraft features

Cockpit

• A truly 3D virtual cockpit right down to accurately modelled seat belts and screw heads - every instrument is constructed fully in 3D with smooth animations


• Cockpit textures feature wear and tear based on reference photos taken in the real aircraft to produce an authentic environment


• Interactive engine start checklist that responds to user inputs and sim variables


• Interactive checklists for every stage of flight


• Aircraft configuration system that will allow you to choose between 'cold & dark' or 'ready for take-off' (if aircraft is stationary on the ground)


• Fully functional and comprehensive IFR capable avionics fit including:
  
  
  
  • KMA 24 audio selector
  
  
  • Fully featured X-Plane-native GNS530 (supports procedures out of the box, and supports Navigraph and Aerosoft custom nav databases)
  
  
  • GNC 255 COM/NAV 2 radio
  
  
  • KN 62 DME unit which can display information from NAV 1 or NAV 2
  
  
  • S-TEC autopilot with lateral hold modes (HDG, NAV, APR, REV) and vertical modes (ALT, VS)
  
  
  • TT31 transponder
  
  
  • KR 87 ADF
  
  
  • Traffic-Watch ATD-300 traffic awareness unit
  
  
  • Strikefinder stormscope
  
  
  • HSI and ADF gauges
  
  
  • Support for RealityXP GTN750 (sold separately, Windows only)
  
  
  
  


• Interactive logbook panel for logging your flight details (X-Plane native)


• Flight computer panel with useful information such as fuel burn, endurance, speed and wind speed/direction


• GoodWay compatible


• Ability to change barometric units from InHg to MB in altimeter adjustment


• Option to activate flashlight from within pop-up window, to aid in those pitch-black cold and dark starts at night


• Pop-up autopilot window


• Option to remove window and instrument reflection effects


• Animated toe brakes


• Functional throttle quadrant tensioning system


• Radio knob animations routed through plugin logic, for optimum movement fidelity and sound synchronisation

Aircraft Systems

• Custom-coded fuel system, including the option of automatic fuel tank switching for use on those long distance cross-country flights (this option is remembered for future flights)


• Custom-coded electrical system with functional circuit breakers, avionics power circuit and emergency bus controls. Circuit breaker logic is linked to X-Plane's internal failure logic, so if the plane is set to fail a certain electrical component after a certain number of hours, the circuit breaker for that element will pop out.


• Realistic landing gear with slow/fast tire rotation animation (blurry when rotating fast), precise shock absorber animation and wheel chocks and tie-downs


• Functioning carburettor and primer controls


• Dedicated interactive engine pop-up window displaying values such as fuel tank weights and imbalance, fuel pressure, oil pressure, oil temperature, battery charge (with quick charge option), and information about spark plug fouling and vapor lock condition


• Simulated vapor lock condition, with warning pop-up and suggested actions


• Simulated spark plug fouling condition, with indication of percentage of fouling


• Lighting system includes separate lighting control for gauges (via rheostat)


• Functional electric trim control on yoke


• Simulated fan and vent system with realistic blower sounds (linked to circuit breaker logic and electrical system for realism)


• Custom external light logic with custom strobe light pattern and custom light halos for added realism

Liveries

The Archer III is supplied with ten liveries from the UK, USA, Canada, France, Australia and Germany:

• G-CIFY (UK)


• G-CCHL (UK)


• N6092U (USA)


• D-EFVC (Germany)


• PH-AED (Netherlands)


• C-GUXL (Canada)


• HB-PPN (Switzerland)


• EC-JQO (Spain)


• VH-PPR (Australia)


• F-GNCH (France)

Other Features

• Realistic and accurate flight dynamics based on real-world performance and handling data, and input from PA-28 pilots


• Authentic sound set, generated using X-Plane's state-of-the-art FMOD sound system


• Custom sounds for switches, doors, warnings and more, featuring accurate location placement of sounds in the stereo spectrum, 3D audio effects, atmospheric effects, adaptive Doppler, exterior sounds spill in when window or door(s) are opened, different sound characteristics depending on viewing angle etc.


• Comprehensive manual with panel guide and performance data


• PSD paint kit included so you can create your own paint schemes


• Dedicated pop-up window for sound mixing, allowing for individual adjustment of the volume of exterior sounds, in-cockpit sounds and various effects


• Custom weight and balance manager window

System Requirements

• X-Plane 11


• CPU: Intel Core i5 6600K at 3.5 GHz or faster


• 8 GB RAM or more


• DirectX 12-capable graphics card from nVidia, AMD or Intel with at least 4 GB VRAM (GeForce GTX 1070 or better or similar from AMD)


• Windows 10 / 7 / Vista / XP, MAC OS 10.10 (or higher) or Linux


• 2 GB hard drive space

Changes In v1.1

• Added VR magnet attach point for XPad


• Made spark plug fouling rate and Vapor lock configurable via manifest.json file.


• Hide Yoke system now responds to X-Plane's default command


• Optimised performance.


• Fixed case sensitivity issue for Linux


• Removed default wing condensation effects. (They're excessive by default).


• Support for rain effects (requires free 3rd party "librain" plugin)


• Improved VR support (VR pop-up support, cleaned up yoke, more supported knobs, etc.)


• Improved sounds and sound effects


• Upgraded to SASL 3.5.1, which now includes pop-out window support


• Compatibility with the latest RealityXP GTN 750 features


• Improved flight dynamics for XP11.30


• Separated out checklist into ‘manifest.json’ file, so it's now end-user editable


• Moved cockpit.obj file into ‘objects’ folder, for neater top directory


• Numerous optimisations and improvements

Changes In v1.2

• Improved performance (FPS)


• Added new custom cockpit sounds (window, heating controls, HSI slaving switches, carb heat lever)


• Implemented circuit breaker logic


• Revised checklists


• Improved Librain plugin effects


• Updated manual to provide instructions for installing Librain plugin


• Wheel chocks can now be removed in VR mode for greater realism


• Added headphone jack and fade-in effects (click on PHONE socket on left main panel)

Changes in v1.3

• Updated Plugin logic to SASL 3.8


• Adapted flight dynamics to comply with 11.40 updates


• Added SkunkCrafts Updater support.


• Fixed rain effects


• Made sun visors transparent


• Added night lighting textures


• Fixed VOR1 instrument


• Fixed autopilot screen


• Changed cockpit texture to 4k for future tests

Changelog V1.8:

• Adjustments to flight dynamics for X-Plane 11.50's flight model


• Reduced wheel rolling coefficient of friction


• GTN 750 transponder code is no longer overwritten every frame.


• Updates to skunkcrafts ignorelist file


• Multiple updates to the manifest.json file

Changelog v1.9

- Adjusted ground pitch attitude to be more nose-up and realistic- Added Save/Load buttons to Weight And Balance popup. Click Save to save the current weights/fuel configuration to disk. When the plane is next opened it loads with default values, but click Load Configuration to load the weights you previously saved.

- Added start-up self-test to STEC 55 autopilot.

- Improved behaviour of popup menus in VR.

 




Read the FlightSim.Com review