Carenado C337 Skymaster now available

ColoKent said:
John....SWS announced a PC-12 a couple days ago:

https://msfsaddons.com/2022/01/08/simworks-studios-announces-the-pilatus-pc-12-for-msfs-coming-later-this-year/


If anyone has bought the 337...do they have an external model WITHOUT the blasted radar hanging off the wing (I want to do a pseudo O-2A, since they didn't include one!)

Kent
Click to expand...

Ouuuu, excellent! Their Kodiak is exceptional.

The C-337 is not a bad airplane. I had the FSX/P3D version. It is just too slow and limited for me.
 
Just checked the Carenado page - it's Marketplace only. I'll still stick this because the plane is def. special interest, but I think I'll also pass on the purchase - for now at least. The vendor has, in the past, had a tendency to issue updates for issues seen in initial releases. I'll wait a bit and track the subject on the official board. If I see updates, then I'll consider it.
 
Unsurprisingly for the developer, this aircraft looks stunning, sounds amazing, and is at the very least "Default+" in terms of systems and flight modeling. Worth the purchase if you can tolerate the Marketplace (Carenado is my one and only no-Marketplace exception.) The weather radar was being a bit buggy for me which I reported to Carenado. Doesn't refresh without modes being switched. I also can't tell if the radar is showing clouds or precip. I know on some other payware I have there's a weather radar and while it initially showed clouds, it was updated to show precip. I'll have to do some testing. No regrets on this purchase, $25 is pretty reasonable for the quality. Also a Carenado standard: Night flights are a dream thanks to the lovely panel and flood lighting.
 
Purchased it and the quality is very good . No paint kit but initial investigations shows that the repaints are almost similar to the FSX repaints as far as the template they used . Ive got some repaints that will transfer to the new

MSFS format with just a little tweaking so Im pretty happy about that.

Bill
 
I picked it up as well, Carenado did a good job with this model. Looks, sounds, and flies well. Did my first two flights at night, ran a short area flight with the Autopilot and shot an ILS, it was solid as a rock.
 
I may wait for an update or two, and perhaps even for the inevitable sale that is bound to happen at some point.

Here's the list of complaints I've heard reported so far:

Sounds are terrible.
Weather radar is wonky. (Probably due to the weather radar problem in MSFS.)
Engine controls are reversed.
Elevator feels "heavy" and animation both inside and out is limited.
Windshield is tinted green. (Maybe not a complaint?)
Pilot's seat position is too low, and cannot be adjusted in the config file.
Brake animation is wonky.
Ground handling is too sensitive.
Flickering lighting in the cockpit.
Flashes of daylight under the door frame.

Here's the list of praise I've heard reported so far:

Sounds are fabulous. "Just like the real thing."
Textures and modelling are top notch.
Landing gear animation is outstanding.
Price is more than reasonable.

As I would expect, far more complaints than praise. I think that may simply be human nature. The only "real" complaint IMHO is the control reversal. If that proves to be the case (compared to the IRL aircraft) that is a pretty glaring error. However...

The screenshots I've seen posted look simply amazing. Carenado may not have the most complex models, but they always seem to be very pretty and they fly quite nicely. Landings in the Carenado aircraft I've flown are satisfying and consistent, even in crosswinds.

I'm very tempted to just "go for it" - the Skymaster is a favorite aircraft. I'm a bit spooked that the upcoming 22 February update for MSFS will break the airplane, as older updates have broken all the Carenado aircraft I have. (The Mooney had an inop fuel selector for months.) If that happens it would be disappointing, and I'd probably give up on both Carenado and The Marketplace for good. There are too many other great developers releasing aircraft for the sim that are both interesting and very well done. (The recently released SWS Kodiak is a gem.) Why suffer through the long update cycle and middle-of-the-road realism just for a "pretty" model?
 
Let me see if I can address some of these

Sounds are terrible. -They are pretty close actually but I hate the way Wwise sounds in this sim, frankly I think it's a big step backwards but that is my opinion.
Weather radar is wonky. (Probably due to the weather radar problem in MSFS.) I don't think it works at all, more a placeholder for aftermarket radar?
Engine controls are reversed. They are but it's no major consequence, easy fix for the Dev
Elevator feels "heavy" and animation both inside and out is limited. It's a heavy GA aircraft, twin engine on a single engine size airframe, my actual time in a 337
I recall the elevator feeling a bit heavy but that was over 30 years ago, I remember the 337 was a pain in the A$$ to service & maintain.
Windshield is tinted green. (Maybe not a complaint?) Some 337's had this, not sure why. 1970's looking tinting, ugly as hell.
Pilot's seat position is too low, and cannot be adjusted in the config file. It's going to vary from one pilot to another, the real 337's seats are not height adjustable, get a pillow! LOL!
Brake animation is wonky. ? The braking effect on most models are, again it is an FS2020 quirk, maybe too exaggerated?
Ground handling is too sensitive. Yes, like most aircraft models in FS2020, it is an FS2020 issue but you can dial it back in the menu before flight
Flickering lighting in the cockpit. Yes
Flashes of daylight under the door frame. Yes
 
Bryant-- quick question...is there an external model WITHOUT without the radar pod? Only reason I am asking is because I'd love to see a pseudo O-2A repaint at some point.

Kent
 
ColoKent said:
Bryant-- quick question...is there an external model WITHOUT without the radar pod? Only reason I am asking is because I'd love to see a pseudo O-2A repaint at some point.

Kent
Click to expand...

Kent, I went back and checked, as far as I can tell there is not. I checked through all the menus for the model, no such option. I wonder if it is a drop-in no-radar model file hidden somewhere? I wish they would do a dedicated O-2 as well. I miss seeing those old birds. Last time I saw them was in the early 80's, if I saw one fly over, not long after, the ANG's F-105D's would come screaming over then F-4E's from the 4th TFW. Those were the days!
 
Bryant…Thanks for the confirmation….the level obliviousness here is stunning. NO previous versions had WX radar pods on the wing. Maybe they will release a patch including a solitary no WX radar version. Better than nothing…

Kent
 
I bought it, but it has mirrored textures (wings, booms, tails) so you'll need to work with decals if you want to do any serious painting..
so I'll shove it into the rear of the hangar for now
 
Hi JanKees,

jankees said:
I bought it, but it has mirrored textures (wings, booms, tails) so you'll need to work with decals if you want to do any serious painting..
so I'll shove it into the rear of the hangar for now
Click to expand...

Thank you, so different mapping as the P3D version?

Marcel
 
mgr said:
Hi JanKees,



Thank you, so different mapping as the P3D version?

Marcel
Click to expand...

different mapping ànd different method.
The texture is white, and the colours come from a LIV.ALBD..PNG.DDS file
337_ID1_EXT_ALBD.PNG.jpgLIV_ALBD.PNG.jpg

I think the paint pattern is included in the model, since it comes with a different model file for each texture. Registrations go via decals.
Can you get refunds from the marketplace? I don't think so, right?
 
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