Carenado PA28RT 201 Arrow IV
In this review we'll be flying a Piper PA28RT 201 Arrow IV, developed by Carenado.
Flight Test
For our flight we positioned our airplane at Vero Beach, Florida, a perfect choice as it's the actual home airport for Piper Aircraft.
The weather is mostly clear, it's a great day to go flying.
With the airplane configured, we lined up on runway 11R and applied full power.
The sound of the engine is exactly
the same as the real airplane, it's a glorious sound to anyone who has felt the joy of flying this airplane.
With full throttle applied the airplane jumps into life, accelerating quickly down the runway.
Once off the ground we cleaned up the airplane, raising the gear and flaps.
The airplane had lifted off at about 90 knots and we maintain that in the climb, giving a climb rate of about 700 feet per minute.
We continued the climb to 3000', climbing east over the river towards the ocean.
Taking an opportunity to look at the external view, there's some really nice touches, the antenna on the top of the fuselage moves in the air flow, and when turning reflections on the shiny paint, and windows move, creating a sense of realism.
During out flight we performed clearing turns, and tried some stall manuevers in various configurations. The stalls were gentle, and recovery straight forward.
Turning our attention to the inside of the airplane, the package has several inside views available, such as from the left or right front seats, and even a rear passenger seat, as well as panels.
Flying in the pattern was enjoyable, with decent climb performance, and speed to enable several touch and go's in a short space of time.
The model has many moving parts, including the airplane's main door, and baggage compartment door.
Summary
This simulation is similar to the real airplane, a joy to fly.
The Piper Arrow IV has enough power to offer a fast single engine airplane, which in this package, is simulated in exacting detail.
For those flight sim pilots keen to fly a general aviation airplane, this has solid handling characteristics, yet is sporty enough to get you from A to B quickly, allowing you to fly cross countries low enough to enjoy the scenery.
As an add-on, the quality is sheer perfection, the external model is simply beautiful, it sounds, looks and feels like the real airplane.
Available from Carenado now ! (www.carenado.com).
