On behalf of the gents at Virtual Rearsby , thank you -- It flies as good as it looks , as Usual Martin (T6 Flyer) has provided Dave and Brian with as much
real world information on the Alpine as one could desire -- Dave's VCs go from strength to strength -- Martin says for those with TrackIR it will keep you amused
for hours. Its in Beta now, and there are very few niggles on it, so hopefully Dave will release it to the general public shortly. DaveB -- G-APAA is one of my favorite paintschemes of any Auster, Im looking forward to flying it in the company of Dave Gs Rapide in AA paint. What does amaze me for a marque which started with one basic design (Taylorcraft) how Dave and Brian have captured the nuances of each individual model. Sorry I'm biased - The Auster (in J1N form)
was instrumental in my early life.
Martin as usual came up witht he history of G-APAA - it was only operated by the AA for two years and then sold to a private owner who managed to to
destroy shortly thereafter - a great loss......the initial Alpine offering will be G-ANXC which still lives and breathes at Eggesford (As DaveM(oly) says its
extremly helpful having access not only to specific aircraft but also to their owners and pilots (courtesy of MartinP and the good folks at Eggesford)
Thanks for the kind words Leif. Its been an absolute pleasure working with Dave, Brian and everyone else connected with the Austers. To be in a position to fly in the real thing and then come home and do it again, is well at times beyond words. The attention to detail in all of these aeroplanes is superb (I supply over 200 photos and all of the technical manuals for each one), so what you see with all of them is extremely close to the real thing. The detail in this new one is astonishing and like Leif said anyone with TrackIR is in for a treat as its all modelled so accurately.
As to the flight models, these have all been wonderfully created by Brian Horsey and although the aeroplanes might all come from the same company, all the Austers fly that little bit differently (even examples of the same type can have different quirks). The Auster in real life is an extremely difficult aeroplane to fly well and these 'replicas' are worthy representations of these classic and sometimes forgotten British designs.
G-APAA is one of my favorite paintschemes of any Auster
I rather like it on the Rapide too mate. We have a 5 or 6ft long model of AHKV hanging from the ceiling in a corner of the restaurant at Brooklands and every time I see it, I imagine how much nicer it would look at the pub
I wonder where they stored the jump-start leads and all the kit they carry now in the back of their vans ?
Just a few final virtual bolts to tighten and she'll be ready
Cheers
Dave M(oly)