Robinson R66 Turbine for X-Plane

When I read that the R66 was designed to be both faster and smoother than the R44, which I have spent many hours in, I thought that it would be the most logical upgrade. Having recently started using X-Plane in place of another simulator, I was also looking for something fairly familiar to ease me through the transition. I had enough practice with the R44 that I felt confident enough to take on the superior turboshaft-powered helicopter, even though it was in a simulator that's still new to me.

Aesthetically, the R66's design is very pleasing. It has a very stylish exterior and spacious cockpit, created by housing all of the advanced instruments in a small center console. So you as the pilot, have far greater visibility than you would with a traditional cockpit. The same was true on the R44, but the general form of the R66 is much more refined and clean.

There are a lot of really nice features in this package that put it head and shoulders above the old model that I was used to, and I'm certain that it's not simply because I've switched to a different simulator. The textures are really high quality and are mapped into place, with hours of research spent figuring out their true placement in order to achieve the most authentic results. They complement the model incredibly well, and the high level of detail does not seem to affect frame rates at all. Whatever technology Alabeo have used in order to make the model 'FPS-optimized' certainly seems to do the trick. I was really pleased with the attractive material shines and reflections, that help to make the R66 feel like it's interacting with the environment around it.

Other additions like dynamic blade tensions that flex the rotor blades as your RPM goes up, add a great deal to the overall level of realism you can experience. This is further accentuated by vibrations during take-off that replicate the effects of take-off in real life, as well as very finely tuned flight characteristics. Special attention has been given to the speed and weight of the aircraft, to not only make it stand apart from the R44, but to give it a unique feel and personality.