The DC3 is a fantastic aircraft and deserves its world in Xplane, there are now at least 3 options to try: the Aeroworx freeware, the very old LES DC3 (new version coming soon) and the Vskylabs DC3 that has recently received a major update to version 4 so we decided to give it a go and review it.
Exterior Model
The exterior model of the Vskylabs DC3 is very nice, it is much better than the Aeroworx model as it is more detailed and has better textures.
Engines are very detailed and the fuselage is really well done, it is not a premium model but it is certainly payware quality and looks really nice.
If we get too close some details are lost but that is not really a problem.
It is a very nice model, the way reflections work on the paint is really well done and there is a lot of detail to be seen. We really liked the exterior model of this plane.
Interior Model
The interior model is not so good. The cabin is done and is decent, it has an XP10 look and it is very basic in details but it doesn't look bad, maybe blocky and not very detailed but it works considering it is an old plane and the cabins in the DC3 are quite spartan.
The cockpit is something we didn't like. It looks really ugly, not only it doesn't look realistic but it has a very amateur look. As if someone just overimposed instruments over a basic texture and called it a cockpit. We have seen several DC3 videos and none of them look like this model so we are not sure if the aircraft was inspired by some other DC3 variant or if it is just a creative improvisation.
The Aeroworx DC3 cockpit while not stellar certainly looks better and it is a freeware, Vskylabs couldn't really represent how a DC3 looks from the pilot's point of view and the work they did is an immersion breaker. On the positive side we like how they placed the GPSs hanging from the overhead panel and they can be completely retracted if you don't want to use them.
The pedestal is very basic and again has a very amateur look, there are just plain textures all around and blocky objects on top of them. Seats are not terrible but don't look very good either.
The overhead panel is really a disaster, it looks bad and feels quite ugly on the plane. Again here the Aeroworx DC3 is much muc better.
Comparison
Remember looks are subjective so your opinion might differ, that's why showing things is more important than what we could say about it.
Flight Model
The flight model of the Vskylabs DC3 is... strange, maybe suspicious. The plane handles quite different than the Aeroworx DC3 and in our humble and subjective opinion it is worst. Trying some maneuvering we discovered the flight model is probably a gross exaggeration of how the plane should behave, stalls are usually completely uncontrollable and as soon as the plane starts to oscillate wildly everything is lost. The same happens with icing, it abruptly appears and quickly becomes a problem. Taxiing is another case, tail-draggers are really difficult to handle but this model is almost impossible, without using the directional tail-wheel the plane is very eager to run to either side or make a spin, yes the real DC3 has those tendencies too but with enough care a pilot can taxi a DC3 after a few practices. In the Vskylabs version taxiing is a complete challenge and once the plane lands controlling it on the runway is also very difficult. On the same note the way the plane reacts to wind on approach is very violent. The common word here is exaggeration, everything is out of proportions in this flight model and we really didn't like it.
Systems
Systems are really very shallow in this plane, only basic stuff has been modeled and everything else is undone. Engines could be started in more or less any procedure you can imagine, there are no starting problems modeled and you just have to push the buttons.
Autopilot works and you can choose from the sperry autopilot or GPS navigation via dual G530 units. Both work really well. We felt this rendition of the DC3 a very very shallow simulation of the plane systems but that's probably ok for the price being asked, this. is not a studylevel simulation.
Sounds
Sounds are fine on this DC3 but they are quite basic, engines sound fine when flying, starting the engines produces always the same exact sounds which is quite disappointing given the nature of piston engines, they should have variations to reflect the engine personality and its quirks. Switches are very basic and levers too. We think sounds are fine for the price but they are certainly far from being great.
Performance
Not a problem here, the plane is light and gives very good fps on our systems. It can even be run along with Xenviro in a moderate CPU, this is important as this is a plane that really needs nice weather add-ons to be enjoyable, it's a plane to fly over Alaska or the frozen norther territories of Canada as we have seen on the Ice Pilots TV series.
Sample Flight
Here's a sample flight from Buffalo airways headquarters in Yellowknife to Fort Liard. It is a nice experience but the cockpit look just kills it for us.
Conclusions
The conclusions about this plane are quite straightforward, it is a very good exterior model with a very bad interior model and a suspicious, overblown, flight model. We must sadly say we didn't enjoy flying the plane, we kind of knew the plane would blow any situation out of proportion , probably with the idea of highlighting the DC3 flying characteristics but a good simulation is not about exaggerating how planes fly. We believe the flight model is something we might have gotten used to with some time if not for the really ugly-looking cockpit. We felt inside a cartoon, with a cartoonish rendition of the DC3 cockpit and a cartoonish flight model.
Final Mark
Looks are subjective, if you like the Vskylabs cockpit then for its price you have a DC3 to play around and enjoy, if you are not sure about the cockpit then stay away and go with the freeware version by Aeroworx the exterior model is worst but it flies better and looks better inside and of course it is free. We think a real good DC3 is coming soon from LES, the creators of the Saab 340 and that is certainly going to be better than what we have today. About this add-on, it just didn't work for us.
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