Piper PA28 181 Archer II for X-Plane

If you're looking for a great looking light aircraft to add to your X-Plane hangar, then consider this Piper PA-28 by Carenado. Carenado have a knack for creating stunning aircraft models that handle as well as they look, and this one is no exception. It's available as an immediate download, so you don't even have to wait for a CD to arrive in the mail.

All the Carenado hallmarks are here. A polygon optimized model is fleshed out with beautiful textures and dazzling lighting effects. The lighting effects and special attention paid to the textures stand out even more, because the Piper PA-28 is an all-metal aircraft. The shines and reflections on the surface of the aircraft really make it feel tangible, and they make for some really amazing screen shots. I'm also a fan of the low wing design, which looks really good when the sun is low in the sky.

You actually get two models with this add-on, one with fairings and one without, as well as four different liveries in a range of colors, three of which utilize a sleek pinstripe design. You also get a blank texture, allowing you to create you own custom liveries. So aesthetically, you get a lot of variety with this aircraft.

A wide range of animations, moving parts and other details help to make the aircraft feel even more realistic, and make your flights even more enjoyable, especially if you're using an external view where they can be really appreciated. If you're using the interactive virtual cockpit, it's all about the lighting effects on the panel. They look fantastic, and turn the 3D modeled cockpit area into a truly atmospheric space. From the pilots seat, the performance of the Piper PA-28 can be best felt, with a good weight and balance and authentic flight characteristics. Rounding out the aircraft, is the high quality stereo sounds that have been recorded from the real aircraft, and work to bring the performance and the visuals together into a cohesive and believable model.

The included .PDF's that cover normal and emergency procedures, are really useful and very easy to print out and have as a reference. So even if you haven't flown a Piper PA-28 before, the checklists and reference provided will help you get started with this great model from Carenado.

I purchased this and the Mooney 20J for Mac. They're okay planes, but I was expecting more. Here are some notes:

FIRST, here's a fix for if you aren't getting sounds and the pilot is blocking your view:

The issue is caused by "mac.xpl" being blocked by the OS during the plane load. When the alert pops up that says, "'mac.xp' cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified," without closing X-Plane, go to System Preferences _ Security & Privacy _ General. Down at the bottom in the "Allow apps downloaded from:" section, you'll see an option to allow mac.xpl. Click "Allow anyway," and go back to X-Plane. In the top menu, select Developers _ Reload Aircraft and Art. This will cause the whole scene to reload, and then a new dialogue box will pop up that gives you the option to open mac.xpl the way it was designed. When the flight loads again everything will be as it should.

The Good:

Overall it's a nice model. It's pretty solidly built, and I've enjoyed flying it. Since I'm working towards my PPL, it's a nice trainer alternative to the C172 if I want to change it up. The engine sounds are good and the interior is fairly nicely detailed.

The Not-so-good:

1) The "touch targets" for adjustment knobs on the radios and gauges are really small. I had to zoom in really close to each one to try to make adjustments, and even then there were a few where I just gave up. When I'm mid-air I shouldn't have to take the time to hunt for the touch target. It's frustrating.

2) It's probably my graphics settings, but in terms of graphic detail and clarity, I was way more impressed with the FREE Swearingen Metroliner III that I got from X-Planes.org than I am with the Piper and Mooney. They're way better than a lot of freeware out there, but I was expecting more polish. Again, it's probably got more to do with my graphics settings (I'm playing on a laptop...it's the best I can do right now), but if I can be blown away by a free plane, I should be at least as blown away by one that I pay for.

I have to agree with former reviewers. The plane is working and nicely detailed. But it's not made for X-Plane 11. It's constantly rolling to the right - I though I had a defect on the plane in-simulation. I was not able to fix this in the planemaker unfortunately and it does not seem to be able to be updated. The nav lights are not working as well, although the knob is turning, they don't come on. And a version without GPS or AP is realistic for that time, but todays builts (even the old ones) are all upgraded with at least GPS and sometimes AP. An appropriate version should be existent.

If you have Xplane11.1 don't bother with this. I have been to the Carenado Support page and followed their advice regsarding Plug in Admin, downloading and installing Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables and checked the file name for non-alphanumeric characters and all to no avail. Still no sound and distorted pilot's view point. In short, Carenado don't seem to have checked that this aircraft flies with the latest version of Xplane11 and if they csn't be bothered, why should you?

In x-plane 11 - this model rolls to the right even with full left aileron trim. Although the rest of the model is very good - this fact makes it impossible to maintain straight and level flight without constant control inputs that aren't necessary in real life.

Carenado say that this is because the model is for x-plane 10 and they don't know when they'll get around to fixing all of their models for x-plane 11 unfortunately.

_ In x-plane 11 - this model rolls to the right even with full left aileron trim.

I noticed this as well and that was the one big difference that I noticed from the one model I'm learning to fly in.

I fixed this by opening the model in Plane Maker and adjusting the aileron trim tab from 0.2 to -0.2 in the Control Geometry settings under the "Trim & Speed" tab. This small change made straight and level flying possible.

I do not like the sound engine is not too realistic! You have to update for the real engine noise.