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| Dodo-Sim 206 By: Andy Medley |
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| Dodo-sim Bell 206 Manufactured: Dodosim Published: Simmarket Click on image's to enlarge. Introduction The Dodosim Bell 206 is in a league of its own in Flightsim, standing out from the rest and known for having a real to life experience it could only be the Dodo-Sim Bell 206. As one of the most widely used helicopters in the world, With a maximum speed of only 122 Knots, and a low surface ceiling of 13,500ft, the 206 doesn't sound like the most exciting aircraft ever designed. On this day bell have sold over 8.000 of the Bell 206 helicopters this means that the helicopter is so popular it even has a larger network than the extremely popular Cessna 206 range of light prop-aircraft. The Bell has been used for multi role purpose around the world and to this day many Bell 206 are mostly used and private charter. Installation:   The installation of the Dodosim 206 came to sim-reviews in a CD format so the installation part was straight forward. After placing the disc in your CD or DVD drive, Auto-run is supposed to take you to the start-up screen. On my 64bit Windows Vista system, Auto-play asked if I wanted to run the setup program, then the Windows User Access Control asked if I wanted to allow the program to make changes to my computer, select “yes”, pick the English, German or French version of the program, click next twice, accept the license agreement and the installation continues. The installation of the Dodosim 206 automatically found my FSX location and the whole process took less than a minute on my system. The other thing that I like about retail CD products as opposed to having publishers burn a CD of the downloadable product is that printed documentation in included with the purchase. Documentation:   The inclusion of a 15 page quick start guide was welcomed by me and im sure it will be for you. Also the inclusion of the 79 page Flight Training Manual and two checklist cards, An 88 page PDF User Manual is also included as part of the installation and as far as I can tell has the same information that is in both the Quick Start Guide and the Flight Training Manual. Before jumping into the helicopter for the first time, I recommend reading the quick start guide on how to set up FSX settings in order to have the best experience with the Dodosim 206. If you are a novice at flying helicopters, like I am, I highly recommend reading the Flight Training Manual in order to have the most enjoyable experience. The first time that you load one of the Dodosim 206 helicopters in FSX you will be prompted with the FSX security warning about if you want to run an unknown module, select “run” and click “yes” on the next screen to indicate that this module is trusted.     Panel & Sounds: As well as a virtual cockpit, 2D Panels for the overhead, collective, MIP and radio stack are supplied. These panels are 100% functional and perform at equilibrium in terms of realism to the VC. The DodoSim panels are reminiscent of the old PSS 2D Panels. Very crisp, clear and easy to use there is not much more to be said here other than I'm glad DodoSim have given support for 2D panels, and that the quality of them is absolutely superb. Dodosim included the Panel/Function shortcuts instead of having the pilot access these functions via menu. It is much easier for me to access these subpanels & functions using the shortcut instead of via the menu. This is true for all aircraft not just the Dodosim 206. The sound witch come’s form the Jet turbine is outstanding, with the sound effects. I have been in a real Bell 206 Jet Ranger so I can say it’s realistic the various sound effects are superb. Besides the usual sound effects such as button clicks, warning horns, the turbine engine, starter wind up and wind down, are some helicopter specific sound effects including, blade slap, transmission whine, rotor rumble, cockpit engine & rotor sounds and mechanical failure sounds. The turbine engine sound effect in the cockpit is very loud. I turned down the dynamic sounds volume from the Dodosim menu in FSX. I could still hear all of the sound effects but I did not have the ear strain caused from the loud engine sounds. Interior & Exterior: From the Exterior the package has four different variants each painted in three different liveries and labelled with unique registration numbers. The four different helicopters are based on the type of landing gear that is installed. These are standard low profile skids, high skids, floats and utility which is a high profile skid configuration with a belly mounted hook & wire strike kit. The exterior textures are of high quality with nice reflective paint jobs. There are high definition repaints available on the web if you like HD textures. I have a midrange system so I do not have a problem with standard definition textures as long as the exterior is nice looking with clear lettering and textures. Bland interior looking textures remind me of the default FSX aircraft interior textures. For me this is a minor detail and would have added to an already excellent product. If you are the type of person who judges the overall aircraft quality by the interior textures, then you may be disappointed. I do not have a problem with the interior textures because for this aircraft I prefer accurate flight dynamics & operations instead of detailed interior textures. It work feels good and fly’s like it should for me it’s a winner outright. Modelling: Dodosim did a very good thing and included five difficulty levels, so pilots of all skill levels can enjoy this wonderful aircraft. The documentation includes a chart showing the five difficulty levels and what is included as you advance to the higher difficulty levels. Dodosim also provides the manual on their website to download and I recommend that potential customers download and read it to see if this is the right product for you. It is important to remember that all of the flight dynamics listed below is completely new to FSX; they have never before been seen in any default or add-on aircraft. Everything below is a result of DodoSim’s own efforts. Torque Induced Yaw, or the tendency for the aircraft to turn opposite to the main rotor blade, is possibly the most obvious and most powerful new flight dynamic DodoSim have introduced. Since the 206’s rotor blades spin anticlockwise, the helicopter’s fuselage moves in opposition to the right. To counter this effect, the pilot must apply leftward pressure on the Torque Pedals. This effect has been excellently represented in the DodoSim 206, and what’s even better is that DodoSim’s Torque Induced Yaw has variable intensity at different speeds, meaning that much more Torque Pedal must be applied at lower speeds than at higher speeds. At and above 40 Knots, Torque Induced Yaw is rendered ineffective. RPM Modulation is a unique and very interesting feature introduced by DodoSim. The RPM (Revolutions-Per-Minute) actually adjusts depending on the angle and strength of the airflow passing around the main rotor blade. This effect is much more subtle than the other flight dynamics in the 206 package; however it is noticeable in the form of slight sound and RPM Gauge fluctuation. Overall: The DodoSim 206 is, without a doubt, one of the best helicopter’s I have ever seen in Flightsim. The custom failures and totally reworked flight dynamics mean that FSX Helicopter Pilots can now get a taste of what it really feels like to be at the hands of a 206. The training modes are perfectly suited for beginners whilst the complex options available at the highest difficulty level challenge the user’s sense of concentration. I am definitely going to keep the Dodosim 206 installed on my system so that I can continue to improve my skills at flying it properly and landing on the intended area. Sim-reviews give’s Dodosim 5/5 Stars Gold Award. |
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