Just Flight - Do Points Really Mean Prizes?

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Swanoir
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Just Flight - Do Points Really Mean Prizes?

Post by Swanoir »

The thought occurred to me yesterday that I'd never got around to buying the Just Flight Comet, an aeroplane which I love and spent many happy hours flying David Maltby's fine creation for FS9, but which I don't have in FSX. So I headed over to Just Flight, which I knew had a Comet in their catalogue.
I also knew that this Comet has been around for quite a long time. That in itself isn't a problem. My urge to fly a Comet and part with some cash seemed to balance out at that point. But then I saw that the Just Flight Comet is still retailing at £24.99...
Seriously?
Before people start moaning about development costs and overheads and how fragile the industry is, this is what I've contributed to the Just Flight coffers since January 2016 in purchases (and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone):
Tornado
DC10
Hawk
DC4
Tri-Pacer
Arrow III
Turbo Arrow III
C46 Commando
PBY Catalina
DC8
Menorca X Evolution
Canberra PR9
BELL 47
Huey x
Heron
Hunter
DC9
Bonanza
Stratocruiser
HS 748
Tri Star
Lionheart Learjet
Beech Staggerwing
One Eleven
Traffic 360
Chieftain
A318
B-17
King Air
DC-3
DC-3 Expansion Pack
BN Islander
DH Chipmunk
DH Dove
DH Dover Livery Pack#
Fokker F27

No I'm not rich! I received a very unexpected and touching amount of money in a will from my Uncle David which nearly covered the purchases above. Yes some of the downloads were bundles and yes, I accrued some points (which I've already used). But the fact remains, why should I, why should any of us pay £24.99 for an elderly addon ?
I love our hobby, I salute business which propagate it.

But let's have some sensible pricing and not punish the many who support the few...

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DaveG
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Re: Just Flight - Do Points Really Mean Prizes?

Post by DaveG »

I don't have the Comet, so I can't say if it's worth 25 quid or not. FS addons don't seem to go down in price with age, they just appear in sales more often! :lol:
I'd just wait for the Comet to be in a sale, which I'm sure won't be long.
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Swanoir
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Re: Just Flight - Do Points Really Mean Prizes?

Post by Swanoir »

I just bought the Comet... :hide:

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DaveG
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Re: Just Flight - Do Points Really Mean Prizes?

Post by DaveG »

:lol: Hope it's worth the money. :worried:
Dave G.

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blanston12
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Re: Just Flight - Do Points Really Mean Prizes?

Post by blanston12 »

Swanoir wrote:
08 Dec 2017, 20:59
I just bought the Comet... :hide:
Congrats! I will be expecting a full review
Joe Cusick,

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Paul K
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Re: Just Flight - Do Points Really Mean Prizes?

Post by Paul K »

blanston12 wrote:
08 Dec 2017, 21:34
Congrats! I will be expecting a full review
Me too. ;)

Swanoir
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Re: Just Flight - Do Points Really Mean Prizes?

Post by Swanoir »

Well lads...

I actually quite like it! Starting on the outside, the textures are really showing their age. Nowhere near today's standards and all a bit too clean, I'd like to have seen some weathering. I like the external animations such as the period passenger stairs, ground power unit, chocks etc. But things like that are pretty standard these days. I did like the Flight attendant at the door though!

Moving inside, the VC is similarly out-dated. It's got a very 'chunky' feel and lacks the finesse of current VCs. The textures are non-HD and are blurry in places. However, the gauges themselves are nicely done, as are the switches. I liked the radar feature, not exactly cutting edge but unusual nonetheless. But again, if you're used to proper 3D instruments and clever lighting then you'll not be impressed by the Comet VC. The panel views are placed nicely when you cycle through them, everything was easy enough to find. I liked being able to pop into the cabin a get a closer look at the stewardess!

I took the Comet on a short hop from Norwich to Southampton to get a feel for all phases of flight. I was very happy with the handling at most phases. Ground handling was smooth, although you need to give the engines some welly to get moving! this wasn't a problem though as I assume this is how the real Comet would have behaved. Take off was smooth at 50% fuel and took very little elevator trim. I hand flew her up to 10,000 ft and tried a few turns, all very smooth and stable. I used the 'cheat' autopilot using the Shift + 5 shortcut (I'll get to grips with the 'real' one another day) which was a doddle. Switching views outside, it was really nice to see thick black smoke belching from the engines! Wouldn't get away with that these days! Disengaging the autopilot on approach to Southampton and deploying flaps and landing gear, I found the handling felt smooth yet 'heavy', which again I assume is realistic? I quite liked it, it felt like you had to put a bit of effort into moving the control surfaces, but without it being irritating or burdensome. The landing itself was nice, but with full flaps, spoilers and reverse thrust we stopped in a very short space, which I felt to be a little unrealistic. I'd come to a complete stop well before the taxiway turn off half way down the runway, I was expecting a much longer run and was anticipating needing to backtrack.

So, in summary. Yes, I do like it. The Just Flight Comet has character, that undefinable quality that some addons seem to lack. I enjoyed my flight and the aircraft will definitely not be gathering dust at the back of my virtual hangar. However, it really is showing its age. This may seem unfair to the good chaps at JF, but it basically feels like a FS9 port over (which I think it was).

So I'm brought back to my original point, was it worth £25? Resoundingly and absolutely not! £15? Maybe. £10? Definitely. It's a nice plane but there's just not enough to justify a price tag of £25.

So if anyone at Just Flight is reading this and would like to follow my advice and drop the price, you're welcome. Also can I have 2500 points back please?

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blanston12
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Re: Just Flight - Do Points Really Mean Prizes?

Post by blanston12 »

Did you try it in P3D4 or just FSX? Most JF aircraft I have tried work fine in V4 but not all.
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Swanoir
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Re: Just Flight - Do Points Really Mean Prizes?

Post by Swanoir »

blanston12 wrote:
09 Dec 2017, 19:14
Did you try it in P3D4 or just FSX? Most JF aircraft I have tried work fine in V4 but not all.
Sorry mate, I got so caught up with my rambling thoughts I forgot to mention specs. I run FSX Steam so I couldn't possibly comment on compatibility with anything more than that.

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