A PILATUS PC-12 SINGLE ENGINE TURBOPROPELLER AIRCRAFT BY CARENADO FOR MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR (M.S.F.S.) | A REVIEW

By: David Michael Edwards B.S., M.B.A.

David’s Professional LinkedIn Profile can be viewed by Clicking You Left Mouse Button RIGHT HERE.

Product Synopsis and Overview:

The Switzerland, or Swiss, designed and developed Pilatus PC-12 has globaly proven itself to be the Gold–Standard benchmark in Maximal Flexibility And Maximal Utility in the single engine aircraft category. The PC-12 Next Generation (PC-12NG) is the most current version of the PC-12 with reasonably modernized avionics and with manufacture details available by clicking here.

Carenado, a well established flight simulator aircraft vendor, is not new to the general aviation category aircraft sector for personal computer based high-fidelity based flight simulators. Carenado‘s website can be viewed by clicking here.

Scope and Goal:

The goal of this review is to evaluate both the frameworks of quality and functional utility withing the scope lens of Authentic and Credible High–Fidelity Flight Simulation.

Testing Specifications:

Hardware: Hands-Crafted, Customized & Hand–Made Hardware Setup: Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-10980XE CPU @ 3.00GHz (Eighteen [18]-Core Central Processing Units [C.P.U’s.], Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R ARGB Close-Loop AIO CPU Liquid Cooler, ASUS WS X299 SAGE LGA 2066 Intel X299 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 CEB Motherboard, One-hundred and twenty-eight (128) Gigabytes (GB) of Dual Channel Random Access Memory (R.A.M.) DDR4000 by GSkill RipJaws, NVIDIA RTX 3090 Graphics Processing Unit (G.P.U.) with twenty-four (24) GB of G6X video R.A.M., Rosewill 1,200 Watt power supply, 4x Solid State Drives (S.S.D’s) two [2] are made by Western Digital), Rosewill ATX mid-sized case, Track Infrared (I.R.) 5 head tracking head gear and receiver (Natural Point, Corvallis, Oregon [OR]. United States of America [U.S.A.]) and a LG OLED 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) 55 inch (55″) display.

Notes: 1) All testing and screenshots in this review were taken at full native 4K (Ultra–HD, UHD) (3840 x 2160) Resolution. 2) All flight testing was conducted in the contiguous (lower 48) states of United States of America (U.S.A.), South America, here on the terrestrial surface and/or crust of Planet Earth.

Software: Most Current version of Microsoft Windows 11 Professional (64-Bit), Most Current Current version of Microsoft Flight Simulator (Premium Deluxe Edition & Game Of The Year Edition),– REX 2020 WeatherForce for Microsoft Flight Simulator, John Dowson‘s FSUIPC 7 for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Controllers:

1. Logitech 3D Pro Joystick.
2. Precision Flight Controls: Cirrus Beech Desktop Yoke
3. Precision Flight Controls: Digital Throttle Quadrant
4. Precision Flight Controls: Single Engine Turboprop with Go Around button(GA Button) Attachment
5. Saitek: PRO Flight Combat Rudder Peddles (Discontinued. No longer in production).

Purchase, Download, Installation & Updates:

The Carenado PC-12 for Microsoft Flight Simulator Product Specifications page is detailed and can be viewed by clicking here.

The product can be purchased only In-Game in the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace for $24.99 United States Dollars (U.S.D.).

Carenado Nicely, Kindly, And Generously provided a Free Copy of the product for this review.

The purchase process and experience were both uneventful and most importantly Pleasant.

Manuals:

Carenado does not deviate from the usual professional quality manuals which provide sufficient details, illustrations, graphs, charts, tables, and screenshots that are an easy and pleasant reading in the English language. I greatly and enjoy the Carenado addition of High-Fidelity performance charts, tables and weight-balance tables adding to the immersion. These additional performance details are what one would find in the real aircraft Pilot’s Operating Handbook (P.O.H.), of which a printed hardcopy is required to be with the aircraft and pilot at all times of ground and flight operations, according to United States Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) regulations (Code of Federal Regulations | CFR) Part 91 can be read in detail with the Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge by clicking right here.

Moreover, Carenado provides the full manuals for free at no cost at the bottom of the above linked specifications for those Super Savvy Consumers And Shoppers. For your convenance I have added a direct download link here. You may click here to download the free product manuals. Your are welcome.

Full Checklists, Avionics Operations Guides, and EMERGENCY PROCESDURES CHECKLISTS are also included.

Manuals Score: 9.50 out of 10

Graphics And Texture Quality:

Carenado delivers their customary Stunning graphical textures robustly and throughout, as expected.

Graphics & Texture Quality Score: 10 out of 10

Three–Dimensional (3D) Virtual Cockpit Modeling, Textures, and Night Lighting

The virtual cockpit 3-Dimensional (3D) modeling and texturing is delivered at the Exceptional Carenado Quality Expectations.

The propeller speed animation was not variable with varying levels of power applied to the turoprop engine.

3D Virtual Cockpit Modeling, Textures, and Night Lighting Score: 10 out of 10

Flight Dynamics & Flight Modeling Quality:

The Carenado PC-12 Flight Model and Flight Dynamics are Uniformly and Consistent throughout all areas of the flight models including the following: Ground handing and taxing, Take-Off, Climbing, Cruising, Slow-Flight, Full-Power On Takeoff Stalls, Turning stalls at 30-45 degrees bank with Full-Power, Steep Turns greater than or equal to sixty (60) degree’s bank, Etc.

BONUS #1!: ENJOY THE BELOW GRAND CANYON (ARIZONA/NEVADA) RUN

I did notice in stall testing that a hard-snap roll to a spin will occur with equal speed and force in either direction with full-power or idle power. I would expect this hard-snap roll only to occur with full power but not with idle power. Therefore, this could be improved upon.

BONUS #2: ENJOY THE ASPEN, COLORADO AIRPORT ARRIVAL, APPROACH, AND LANDING VIDEO!!!!!!:

Flight Dynamics & Flight Modeling Quality Score: 9 out of 10

Aircraft Systems Quality:

The systems depth and detail Carenado provides with the PC-12 are sufficiently detailed and meeting market competitive quality expectations for the appropriate aircraft category. No Electrical System loading with taxi or landing lights. No changes in cabin temperature indicator with cabin heat systems changes.

Aircraft Systems Quality Score: 8 out 10

Sounds:

While doing a flight controls test prior to engine starting I enjoyed the sounds of the alerions moving around.

The remainder of the sound’s tests were problematic. Regardless of several updates, due to Microsoft / Asobo breaking aircraft with simulator updates, I found a very repulsive sound. From engine start until the aircraft reaches approximately one thousand and five-hundred feet Above Ground Level (1,500 A.G.L.) there is a constant terrible sound that is similar to an reciprocating propeller engine, to put it politely. More Frankly, it sound like a miss-firing push gas lawn mower with corrosion throughout all cylinders.

A few minutes after takeoff the terrible sounds changes to what would be expected of a turboprop engine. However, there still seems to be the sound of a reciprocating aircraft engine in the background at a low volume level.

This sound was routinely present on all version updates with the most current version test and available (Version 1.2). I triple checked my systems is current for drivers, Windows 11 PRO 64 bit is current, sound drivers and video drivers current. Regardless, the terrible sound persists and I cannot get rid of it and it is only present with the Carenado PC-12 in MSFS.

This sound problem prevents me from wanting to fly the PC-12 in the future. Perhaps it is simply an unique fault with my system build.

Sounds Score 6 out of 10

Final Scoring Summation and Grade:

*******

*******

52.50 Out Of 60 Points

87.5%

(M.S.F.S.) Final Grade: B+

HAPPY LANDINGS!!!

Recommendation:

I Recommend the Carenado PC-12 for purchase. Hopefully the sound problem is uniquely isolated to my simulation experience and/or will be corrected by Carenado.