A2A Simulations Cessna 172R Trainer plus Accu-Sim By Thomas Jones - In Partnership with Flightsimglobal.com i7-2600k turboboost to 4.6ghz Nvidia ASUS GTX580 1.5gb 16gb 1600mhz RAM 2x 1TB HDD Windows 7 64 bit Background Information: The venerable Cessna 172's first flight was in November 1955 and was an instant success story. What started out as a modification to the earlier Cessna 170 was an overnight winner and 1,400+ were built in its first year alone. Over the decades, the C172 has undergone many modifications to the airframe, avionics, and more powerful engines. A2A Simulations has chosen to model the C172R model as it is a more modern rendition of the world's most popular general aviation aircraft. The C172R began production in the later 1990s after the General Aviation Revitalization Act was signed in 1994. A2A has included an impressive feature list for their first general aviation model: -Designed for both professional commercial pilot training and entertainment. -Immersive pre-flight inspection system designed by pilots while operating the actual Cessna 172. -A true propeller simulation. -Electric starter with accurate cranking power. -Dynamic ground physics including both hard pavement and soft grass modeling. -Primer-only starts are now possible. Accu-Sim monitors the amount of fuel injected and its effectiveness to start and run the engine. -Persistent airplane where systems, corrosion, and temperatures are simulated even when the computer is off.
-Immersive in-cockpit, physics-driven sound environment from A2A engineered recordings. -Complete maintenance hangar internal systems and detailed engine tests including compression checks. -Piston combustion engine modeling. Air comes in, it mixes with fuel and ignites, parts move, heat up, and all work in harmony to produce the wonderful sound of a Lycoming 360 engine. Now the gauges look beneath the skin of your aircraft and show you what Accu-Sim is all about. -Authentic Bendix King Avionics stack including the KMA 26 Audio Panel, two KX 155A NAV/COMMS, KR 87 ADF, KT 76C Transponder, KN 62A DME, and KAP 140 Two Axis Autopilot with altitude pre-selection. -Three in-sim avionics configurations including no GPS, GPS 295, or the GNS 400. Built-in, automatic support for 3rd party GNS 430 and 530. -As with every A2A aircraft, it is gorgeously constructed, inside and out, down to the last rivet. -Designed and built to be flown "By The Book." -Visual Real-Time Load Manager, with the ability to load fuel, people, and baggage in real-time. -Four naturally animated passengers that can sit in any seat including the pilot s. -3D Lights 'M' (built directly into the model). -Pure3D Instrumentation now with natural 3D appearance with exceptional performance. -A total audible cockpit and sound engineered by A2A sound professionals. -In cockpit pilot's map for handy in-flight navigation. -Authentic fuel delivery includes priming and proper mixture behavior. Mixture can be tuned by the book using the EGT or by ear. It s your choice. -All models include A2A specialized materials with authentic metals, plastics, and rubber. -Airflow, density and its temperature not only affect the way your aircraft flies, but how the internal systems operate. -Real-world conditions affect system conditions, including engine temperatures. -Spark plugs can clog and eventually foul if the engine is allowed to idle too low for too long. Throttling up an engine with oil-soaked spark plugs can help clear them out. -Overheating can cause scoring of cylinder head walls which could ultimately lead to failure if warnings are ignored and overly abused -Engine, airframe, cockpit panel and individual gauges tremble from the combustion engine. -Authentic drag from the airframe and flaps
-System failures, including flaps that can independently jam or break based on rhe actual forces put upon them. If you deploy your flaps at too high a speed, you could find yourself in a very dangerous situation. -Authentic battery. The battery capacity is based on temperature. The major draw comes from engine starting. -Oil pressure system is affected by oil viscosity (oil thickness). Oil viscosity is affected by oil temperature. Now when you start the engine, you need to be careful to give the engine time to warm -Eight commercial aviation sponsors have supported the project including Phillips 66 Aviation, Champion Aerospace, and Knots2u speed modifications. Installation: Installation of the C172 was quick and simple, just like all of A2A's other aircraft. Just pay for your product, check your confirmation email, download the plane and Accu-Sim, and run the installer. Simple! Exterior Model: A2A takes extraordinary pride in providing as much detail in each of their planes as possible. The C172 is no exception. Every rivet, panel, antenna, and other blemishes are clearly visible and in the right spots. The package comes with three liveries included, one is a Civil Air Patrol livery, another is of N7274H (a C172 the A2A team was able to get up close and personal with), and F-GOAP for those who want to fly in France. This is not the end of the liveries as many high quality ones are available for free online created by fellow flight simmers and real world pilots. The Interior: The interior of the C172 is just as impressive as the outside. Every screw, knob, switch, button, gauge, and more are all rendered in 3D. There is even evidence of subtle wear and tear on the panel lines and
headset jacks and other places that further adds to the immersion. All of the gauges are crisp from any reasonable zoom distance and the needles fluctuate according to the engine RPMs. At night, the panel comes alive with fantastic backlighting of all the gauges. All the forms of lighting that the real C172 has, this one has. Radio lighting, panel lighting, glareshield lighting, pedestal lighting, and flood lighting. All are able to be dimmed to suit the pilot's needs. While on the topic of lighting, the radio stack in the C172 is modeled to a degree I have never seen before. The LED lighting of the frequencies is superb quality and is probably the best available at the time of writing. Above the radio stack is the Garmin GNS 400. If you want, you can even remove the GPS completely and fly with VOR's or NDB's. Or if you want to simulate a Cessna that doesn't have a GPS built into the panel there is a setting that has a Garmin GPS 295 attached to a suction-cup mount on the window where it can be clearly seen. Moving away from the panel, the entire rest of the cabin has been fully modeled down to the seats and carpet. I was fortunate enough to get up close to a real C172 after I received my review copy and was able to make comparisons first hand, and I must say, A2A really hit the nail on the head! Systems Modeling and Flight Dynamics A2A is known for their stunning recreation of warbirds and their systems, so when I heard they were working on a C172 I knew they would have much more accurate systems modeling, given the greater availability of C172s. As with A2A's other planes, the C172 includes a popup checklist, map, maintenance hangar, payload manager, map, and configuration menu. What the others don't have is a pre-flight menu. From here, you are taken to various views around the aircraft for inspection before flight. Just like in real life, the C172 is affected by its environment and can suffer failures of various components. The fuel and oil must be checked for levels and contamination, the wheels must
be properly inflated, the control cables must be clear of corrosion and properly connected, the static source, engine, stall warning opening, and fuel tank vent must all be checked for blockage, the pitot tube heater must work, and the list goes on. Every corner of the plane must be observed as if it is a real C172 that has been sitting at a real airport. Just like in the real thing, the A2A C172 will not always start on the first try. You can try over and over until either the engine starts, or the battery quits. Taxiing requires care as every bump on the grass or taxiway will be felt in the cabin. On takeoff there is a subtle yaw from the propeller torque, but very manageable. Once airborne, speed picks up relatively quickly and the plane climbs at the proper rate. Once the flaps are retracted (or extended on approach) the added drag and lift is readily apparent. If you are flying on a windy day, you will have little incidents of turbulence along the way. In terms of damage, if the engine gets too hot, it could catch fire, if the engine is mismanaged damage could appear and affect other components within. Land too rough? You may have to check the integrity of your tires. The maintenance hangar for the C172 has been given a major update. The user can now select, more specifically, what components their plane is built with. You can change the spark plugs to different brands, each with their own advantages. The battery used can be swapped for a more powerful one. Even the tires can be changed depending on what type of field you are flying into. Other bonuses can be added such as flap seals, engine heater kit (it will degrade and cool down over time if not flown, even when you have your PC off!), nose wheel and main wheel fairings, and a difference pitch propeller can all be added or removed to the users preference. Everything about this plane is exactly like the real world version. It's amazing what technology (and a dedicated team) can do isn't it? Performance
With the immense detail put into both the visuals and systems of the plane it seems like it would be difficult on the frame rates. The exact opposite is true. While flying around in the C172 I experienced little to no frame rate decrease. Wonderful for anyone who has a lower spec. system. Overall If you are looking for a general aviation plane that you can do real world training in, then look no further than A2A's C172R + Accu-sim. This aircraft takes A2A's production to a whole new level of detail. Anyone who is taking flying lessons in a C172 or owns one will immediately find it to be an incredibly accurate representation of the real thing. The final price of the Cessna comes in at $49.99 and is completely worth every cent. Props to A2A (pun intended) for this incredible aircraft, I will certainly be looking forward to any future general aviation releases from them! Below are some screen shots of my flights and the features of the C172 along with some real world comparison shots.
Just look at that bumpmapping! You can change the amount of passengers in the plane and what they look like!
Even visual wear and tear will accumulate in places. Close up of the radio stack and right side panel.
The 3D lights are a very nice touch!