Cessna 177 Cardinal II for X-Plane

Cessna models are not hard to come by, there are so many variants and plenty of developers that do them justice in their recreations. But those developed by Alabeo always seem to stand out from the crowd; they have a certain sparkle to them, an attention to detail that I'm sure takes a lot of time and practice to get right.

This package contains two models, which explains the slightly larger download size, both variants of the Cessna 177. And as is often the case with anything developed by Alabeo, they look fantastic. They are very similar, the only main difference being the fixed landing gear of the C177B and the retractable landing gear of the C177RG. The C177RG is my personal favorite of the two, I just think it looks cleaner when using external viewpoints, but both models are otherwise aesthetically identical.

Each model is very high quality and shows off smooth lines and strong details, all while remaining 'FPS-friendly'. I didn't notice a big hit in frame-rates, where I might have expected one, considering the quality of the visuals. The textures are all crystal clear and seamless as well, so you won't see any weird anomalies where textures don't line up, which can really take you out of the moment if you spot one.

I have to give bonus points to the Super Manipulator, which gives you a huge amount of control, at least compared to what I was used too. It basically allows you to adjust the DPI of your mouse for each individual input, so rather than turning down your sensitivity and getting the fine motion you want for one thing, but having to settle with that speed for everything else, now you don't need to. It's a really great feature, especially if you don't have a mouse with a DPI boost button or an 'aim mode'.

The stand out for me though, is the audio that's been recorded directly from the real aircraft. It makes this one of the most accurate models I've encountered; it sounds completely unique compared to other aircraft in my hangar, which does include other Cessna. These authentic sounds make it much easier to immerse yourself in your flights, especially when partnered with carefully crafted flight characteristics; if you're willing to suspend disbelief, you'll feel like you're flying the real thing.