TorqueSim B-N Islander - Part 1 - Start, Takeoff, Autopilot [X-Plane]

[@jean-michel3364]

Thank you very much for these vidéos and your comments always pleasant and clear !

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Thanks, nice to see the Islander videos get some attention again, they are so much fun to fly.

[@baomao7243]

Great job impressing real world aviation operations and procedures on to flight sim - exactly the reason I decided to fly Xplane. Well done.

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

You're welcome - X-Plane is a great sim!

[@snowdoggyddog]

Thank you for all your videos! They are a treasure.

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Glad you like them!

[@svolos1971]

I bought this plane solely because you mentioned in previous videos that you were playing around with it and was going to do a series in it. l love flying in the Alaska wilderness and on the Greek islands and cant think of a better fit for a plane. I am looking forward to this serries with notepad at hand...Thank you once again for all you give to the X Plane community. Huge fan!

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Thanks, I hope you enjoy it and the series doesn't let you down - you can have lots of adventures in the Islander!

[@pilotactor777]

bloody excellent mate-going for a flight check on an islander-last time was 8 years ago-THIS IS PERFECT!!!

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Sorry for the delay replying, hope the check went well!

[@caribbaviator7058]

Def loved the Torquesim Islander.Torquesim does have the upper hand with its fmod sounds! I do like the look of the Nimbus model

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

It sounds really good in this new version. I find myself wishing Nimbus had done a Trislander, or a BN2a, or even just the version with the "pointy" nose, something slightly different than what TorqueSim had been showing for 6 months before the Nimbus was announced!

[@alanjux9915]

Another superb and informative video Graham, thank you. I bought this aircraft on the strength of your part one and I'm glad I did. The Islander makes such a pleasant change from the A319 that I now so often fly. This particular version appears to be superb on first look-around and short hop from my home airfield EGTU Dunkeswell in Devon, today. The combination of this aircraft and Orbx UK Scenery is superb. Looking forward to more from you on this aircraft and trying to absorb your wonderfully explained and demonstrated techniques.

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Thanks for the nice comment Alan. The Islander is certainly a bit more hands on than the Airbus! Hope you find the rest of the videos enjoyable also.

[@sajeelAkhtar07]

Congratulations again for another great video on a very smart aircraft. I just opened youtube to watch your older videos but this nice surprise came up and I really enjoyed it. Can't wait to watch the next series. By the way, I am so used to look to a FMA now that I couldn't follow really the AP modes engaged on this airplane, but will watch it again. Once I watch how does it behaves on instrumental ILS flying, I´ll give it a go to refresh my old rusty skills. Thank you indeed for your excellent tutorials.

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Great news Sanjeel - once you've learned to read FMAs most of you autopilot issues go away!

[@sajeelAkhtar07]

thank for your reply! I think I got used too much to reading the FMAs on the A-320s I fly, or used to fly before all this COVID nightmare broke up. So I am not familiar any more with the GPS ways of telling the actual engaged and armed modes. Waiting for your next upcoming video and thank you again for all your great content.

[@CJRomanes]

The blue radial line is the single engine best rate of climb speed (65kts in the Islander).

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Yes, that is correct. Did I say something incorrect in the video?

[@aedale1]

Excellent video, thank you. Looking forward to the next one.

[@stewiepid4385]

Even though my platform is FSX I find your videos incredibly inspiring, especially the 'fun planes'. To quote you in a recent video, " I love flying to places and areas I've never been too." So I have been exploring Orbx Scenery with AS-2016 & AS-Cloud Art.

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Yes it can be really relaxing just flying around and looking at the scenery. Glad you find something of interest in the videos.

[@baomao7243]

With COVID we all have weird blocks of time on our hands. Flight plan a large number of segments (incl. fuel mgmt) - eg visit the major airports of every European country - then fly it. Autopilot helps - you don’t have to hand fly constantly and stay chained to the desk. You will see beautiful things and perhaps sharpen your geography skills too. Have fun.👍

[@somewaresim]

Thanks. Looking forward to the next part. I think I’ll get this plane, looks really nice.

[@Gilles45]

Hi Graham (or maybe it's Graeme? 🤔). I'm still loving the Islander, fun to fly and just complex enough! I just downloaded the latest update from X-aviation, mostly an FMOD sound pack that greatly enhances the engine sounds! I also purchased the Garmin G5 plugin that replaces the artificial horizon and the HSI by small glass cockpit displays. This plane was great, it is now awesome! Tx again for this video series, you're the reason I'm having so much fun with the Islander!

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Thanks, very kind. It's Graeme (the unusual spelling!) but it doesn't matter really! Yes the Islander is really good fun, very satisfying to play with. I've been tempted by the G5 pack, but haven't got it yet. Glad you're enjoying it and thanks for the nice comments.

[@Gilles45]

By the way, when you install the G5, you keep the "old stye" version, so you can fly whichever one you want. And you get a brand new G5 equipped 172. The displays are small, but it is still a nice addition. And there is a pop out version available from the plugin menu. I have 50 hours in the Flight Factor A-350 so far and I absolutely love this plane. Getting the on screen MCDU programmed correctly takes a bit of practice and I use the A320 style pop out as a complement since some features seem to be missing in the more modern version. I like that you can't cut corners in this plane. You cannot load fuel if you have not called the fuel truck. If you're on the ramp, you can't load passengers unless you have the passenger bus and the stairs. And you need the bagage loader and to open all appropriate doors, of course. You won't get the V speeds if the runway slope is not entered. In the air, it flies really well. Again, your A-320 series really helped me understand the Airbus philosophy, especially in the descent and landing phases. I still love and fly the Toliss A319 and A321, but this long haul beauty is hard to beat. The documentation is almost inexistant, but fortunately someone made a good cold and dark startup video as well as a cockpit textures mod to get rid of all the unnecessary wear and tear that FF included. Finally, there is a LUA script that puts all the cockpit knobs and buttons in a realistic cold and dark state. Now, if only someone would offer a quality A380...

[@thesledge3481]

Great stuff Graham. I wasn't really interested in this but it's on big sale and I'm going to buy it to go along with you. Also "all sorts of lost". Classic and my aviation career in a nutshell :D

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

I hope you like it! Being lost is part of the fun ;-)

[@weswheel4834]

Same here, but it being on big sale got me worried. (It hasn't been out long, yet its on big sale). But I saw that Graham had made videos on it (and the detail in the video) and it convinced me. Looking forward to some stick-and-rudder-ness as well.

[@ImNotAinstain1]

Best walkthrough, thanks!

[@zephyrzhang]

Ha, a typical high quality video from RRS

[@fefi747]

Great video!!! Looking forward to part 2!!!

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Coming soon!

[@jetnoise6053]

As always !! and Thank you for the LUA script ! : What a smart solution for an anoying bug (@Laminar). I realy don't get why they haven't fixed it YET. Can't wait for the next video on the BN2.

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

I think that sort of thing is less interesting to the vast majority of LR users, and to be fair Vulkan work will make a huge difference to almost all users so I can understand the priority for them. That said - I do wish LR would spend some time making the avionics a bit more lifelike!

[@onehitcombogaming2327]

Thank you for this! I was looking of buying this but I can't find any more videos of it online

[@thegood9]

I know it's basic, but "experienced" people can go past it; however, it would be nice to see the full programming of the exact FP and how you enter it into the 530 for this flight, so we can follow you along. To me, that's a "full flight" tutorial, and otherwise, what you're doing is fantastic!

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Hi Jason, The flight plan is simply the ILS approach to EGHI, with the two waypoints RUDMO and MIVLA in beforehand. I plan to do some route flying in some later videos too so I'll try and include a flight plan setup in there.

[@thegood9]

@@ReflectedRealitySimulations yes thank you again, I paused it and figured it out. Again, much appreciated!

[@danielhatami]

I love your videos Graeme I hope you keep doing them. The TBM videos were really excellent. They are so informative and your tone of voice is really soothing and calming! Thank you. Can’t wait for part 2. I love flying around Scotland so I’m weighing up whether to get this one on sale or the Nimbus... Also could you post your VNAV Lula script please?

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Glad you like the videos, the Islander series may not be as comprehensive as the TBM, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. I forgot to put the script in the description but it's there now! Isn't really Islander specific but should work with any LR default autopilot.

[@SimFanatic]

Great job, thank you!

[@garethsalvage9029]

Thanks Graeme, corrected quite a few misconceptions for me and explained reasoning behind some checklist items. Although you touched on it, would it be too much to ask to demo the differences with HDG + GPSS v HDG + HSI (Maybe a short suplementary vid to series?)

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

I will do Gareth, so in the next video you'll see some of the traps with the current implementation, and hopefully I'll show a GPSS modified version of the same approach in the 4th video. (Also - so I'm really clear on this, the issues lie with how LR have implemented the GNS530, any X-Plane aircraft will have similar issues unless extensive workarounds are carried out!)

[@aeysim]

Thanks. I was thinking about buying it today.

[@pdg1733]

Great set of videos, avionics nicely explained, but just one question, how do you get the sector boundaries in the map display?

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

It should be straightforward, just drop the airspace files in "OpenAir" format into the "Custom Data/airspaces/" folder. You can get UK data from asselect.uk/ - the only thing to be aware of is X-Plane doesn't seem to show class A airspace (the airspace display seems to be designed for US airspace where low level class A isn't a thing), but you can open the file in a text editor and change any "AC A" lines to "AC B" then it should show in the GNS or G1000.

[@pdg1733]

Thanks will try that. Loving this a/c in conjunction with AH2 and landing at smaller fields around the UK.

[@briangentle5515]

Many thanks for your clear information. I just bought this plane and am learning the ropes. One question; how do you set the barometer? I don’t find the reading anywhere, nor a way to set it! Thanks for any help.

[@jetnoise6053]

Solved ? Otherwise its on the left side, right below the altimeter (black knob) ;-)

[@AviationMaster]

Amazing! Thank you! ;)

[@sibbiblue]

This is truly a great video on flying the Islander, Graeme. Thanks a lot for all the precise and detailed instructions. I am a pilot myself who now and then finds some relaxation in flight sim flying. The new Islander by TorqueSim is brilliant in my opinion. Long time since I took control of a piston engine aircraft. Your refresher on engine handling is very helpful. After all I enjoy flying the Islander a lot but I have some doubts on the very high pitch values required during climb out. That really surprised me. With your experience in GA do you think this behavior is realistically simulated? Thanks a lot for these great videos!

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Yes I’m not sure about the Islander pitch myself, especially around flap retraction, however I know it has been flight rested by a real Islander pilot. The Islander does have a fairly draggy wing profile and it’s got a reasonable amount of power so a steep, low airspeed climb is quite believable. When I checked the performance against the takeoff perf chart the model did seem slightly underpowered, but nothing really that bad.

[@sibbiblue]

Reflected Reality Simulations great. Thanks a lot! Very valuable information. Probably the pitch that is required to maintain the climb out speed is a bit high, as well as in other situations, but it does not diminish the joy of flying the Islander.

[@srcultureshock]

Hello! Should I get the BN-2 or the BN-2T?

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

They are both very good aircraft. I prefer the Piston aircraft as I tend to fly UK routes at sea level. The Turbine will work better at high altitude and temperatures.

[@pilotactor777]

lean the engines by sound mate-the Mark 1 earball.\

[@briangentle5515]

Sorry; just found the baro! It's very tiny...

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Yes, and frustratingly it's inches only, hPa is on the little chart stuck to the panel!

[@briangentle5515]

@@ReflectedRealitySimulations ...but you can get hPa just by clicking on the actual gauge! Happy landings; I'm looking forward to the other episodes.

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Ah, that's good to know Brian thanks! I don't think that was in the original version.

[@rivaldo2k1]

Reallly good, think I’ll get this aircraft now, I see it also works with the reality XP GTN750 too now. Just one question, how do I create this lua file? Thanks!

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Hi Ian, You need flywithlua which is available on X-Plane.org. The Lua script is simply a text file with the script shown in the video description copied and pasted in, and there are examples included with flywithlua.

[@chrisloach9658]

How would you say this plane compares to the l-410? I know the l-410 is technically twice as heavy but I feel they occupy a similar(ish?) niche. Considering the l-410 is free would you recommend playing the l-410 to death before splashing out on the BN-2?

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

I think they serve similar but different roles. The Islander has much better short takeoff performance and will do better than a L-410 on really short sectors, but as you say the L-410 is bigger and faster. It really just depends on what you want, for me the Islander was the twin engine piston aircraft to get as I could do short island hops in it - personally I find that more appealing than sitting there in a Baron or Navajo for a few hours. The freeware L-410 is very good, I had a lot of fun with that too.

[@chrisloach9658]

@@ReflectedRealitySimulations Thanks for getting back to me. I think I'll stick to getting the most out of the freeware planes for now. 'Probably better to hang onto your money until we find out if FS2020 is as good as it looks' is my theory. Have you by any chance had a play around with the Felis/parshukov AN-24RV? It's a bit of a faff to install but it seems pretty detailed. It's a bit of a strange plane with the "auxiliary turbojet". Most of the videos I can find of people using it are in German though :S

[@jumpnrun3368]

Bought the Nimbus yesterday. I liked the cockpit better. Systems and flight dynamics shouldn´t be too different.

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

I hope you enjoy it - I’ve had the TorqueSim model since launch day about 6 weeks ago - I’m sure there are positives and negatives on both models, although I have to say the cockpit is one thing that puts me off the Nimbus - the GNS530 is sized incorrectly, and it has the GNS530 and a separate NAV/COM 1 which is a pet hate of mine! Also the wing/body interface on the Nimbus model looks wrong. But yes if they’ve done the Islander right then it should fly similarly to the TorqueSim model.

[@Gilles45]

Hi... On the X-plane org store, the Islander offered is by Nimbus. So two questions... Where do you get the TorqueSim model and is there a reason why you bought this one?

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

The TorqueSim model was released about 6 weeks ago, and I bought it on launch day. I’m actually quite surprised Nimbus made an Islander given how long the development of the TorqueSim model was known about!

[@Gilles45]

From what I see on your video, the TorqueSim model hand flies well, which is important to me. Looking forward to the next videos!

[@jaffa335]

@@Gilles45 Here is the Islander by TorqueSim www.x-aviation.com/catalog/product_info.php/torquesim-islander-p-177 It also has quite a good discount on it currently

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

Great video, but - sorry this is pretty embarrassing - you forgot to retract the landing gear this whole time ;)

[@ReflectedRealitySimulations]

Shhh! Don’t tell everybody....

[@jetnoise6053]

@@ReflectedRealitySimulations Three greens all the time !! (including your life flying ;-) )