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The Boeing 737 needs little introduction to aviators and flight simmers because it is the world's most commonly flown jet airliner. In production since the late 1960s, the 737 is the most produced airliner in history with more than 6,000 having been built in nine models, and another 2,000 are on order.
An instrument panel with subpanels for this venerable aircraft has
been released by
NPSimPanels.
One panel and several subpanels are offered in eight 737s in five
airline liveries. This developer also offers instrument panels for
other Boeing airliners, several Airbuses, and Bombardier regional
jets.
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PURCHASE FEATURES |
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Instant download from the Pilot Shop |
YES | |
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Installation program |
YES | |
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License key required |
NO | |
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End user license agreement (EULA) required |
YES | |
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Uninstall program included |
YES | |
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Manual included |
YES | |
These are just a few of many features of this instrument panel:
From Left Seat |
From Behind Seats |
From Right Seat |
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NPSimPanel's 737 3D Panels
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The installation program contains an instruction page that tells where to install the program files.
The four 737-800 models have virtual cockpits.
All eight aircraft use the FSX default Boeing 737 for their flight modeling and sounds, so their performances and sounds are the same.
Checklists and reference sheets for the four 800 models are included.
Popup windows for subpanels and some instruments open and close with keyboard commands, and most open and close with mouse clicks.
The various instrument panels contain more controls and provide more information than available in the default FSX 737 panels. As examples, the EICAS provides information about air supply and position of flight controls, and the Overhead Panel contains controls for cabin climate control, passenger signs, and exit doors.
Like the default FSX 737 panel, the NPSimPanel panel presents information in pages. As examples: The Navigation Display has ARC Mode, ARC APR/VOR, Plan Mode, Rose, VOR Approach Rose, and ILS Mode. The Arc and Plan modes/pages include black backgrounds and terrain backgrounds. The CDU (control display unit, a.k.a. flight-management computer) contains several modes such as Take-off, Waypoints, and Approach, among others.
From Left Seat
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From Behind Seats
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From Right Seat
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NPSimPanel's 737 3D Panels at Night
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The glass instruments are very high quality when viewed in the popup windows.
The virtual cockpits for the four 800 models are very well done and readable.
The airline liveries are true to the real-world 737s.
Night lighting inside and outside the aircraft is realistic.
Readability of instruments, digital readouts, and controls (switches, knobs, buttons, etc.) ranges from difficult to impossible in the 2D and 3D main panels, however. Although we can zoom in on these items in the 3D panel, the control switches aren't clickable in the 3D panel.
Air France
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British Airways
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Lauda Airways
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Lufthansa
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NPSimPanels
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NPSimPanels' 737 Liveries
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Exterior Night Effects
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The 47-page manual with its numerous screen shots and explanatory annotations is better than the aircraft and panels! It's detailed enough for serious jet flying but not overwhelming for home flight simmers. Its pages contain the following:
Unless I missed something, however, I saw nothing telling us about the existence of a manual. I found it by examining the folders that the installation program created and dropped files into. If I hadn't done that, I would have had no idea this wonderful manual was included.
The inclusion of eight flyable 737s is a pleasant surprise. I expected to receive four instrument panels, one for each of the aircraft identified in the product title, and I expected to use the NPSimPanels panels for the FSX 737. There's no need for changing the default panel for the FSX 737 when we have these eight aircraft.
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Pages from NPSimPanel's 737 Manual
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The depth of information available in each of these basic panels and their subpanels is impressive. Real-world airliner pilots have much more information than is available from the default FSX panels, and these panels are useful for flight simmers who want to learn more about simulating jetliner flight and for seasoned flight simmers who want to maximize their enjoyment. The poor readability of some controls and gauges is a disappointment for otherwise excellent products, however. The price is very reasonable for what we get: a detailed instrument panel with popup subpanels, a heads-up display, eight flyable aircraft in five liveries, and a comprehensive manual with images and text.
Learn More About NPSimPanels 737 Panel
Bill Stack is author of several books about flight simulation, a regular author in flight-sim magazines, and a contributor to Flight Sim Com. His website is www.topskills.com
Copyright © 2009 by
FlightSim.Com, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
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