Just Flight Rescue Pilot Mission Pack for FSX
By Nigel C Martin
September 2008
Overview
Some of you may remember the Rescue Pilot playable demo for FSX that Just
Flight released providing us with a great opportunity to experience the life
of the Rescue Pilot? I had great fun with it.
Flying in FSX it can be a little, well bland, OK, you have the additional
detail and amazing effects on the land, water, ground and aircraft detail,
but, no interactive ATC or real time map ( I appreciate we have the default
GPS, but not as good as FS Navigator)
This programme potentially offers that ‘something’ a bit extra, 12 new
missions to get to grips with.
This offering you will out of your airliner or fighter skimming the
surface at mach 2. Now this is real business, the business of rescuing
people.
So, who are we flying for? You will be a part of a private air rescue
service operating out of Caernarfon Bay in Wales, very close to RAF Valley,
with the Irish Sea to the north and St Georges Channel to the south. To the
south east, the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains and the Snowdonia
National Park, these mark the south-eastern boundaries of the operating
area.
The aircraft in the fleet include:- |
Installation
This process is effortless, after removing the DVD form the sturdy plastic
case. READ the instructions, they provide you with some invaluable
information.
Typically with all Just Flight’s DVD’s they auto-run (You can download this
product if you wish) and all you have to do is follow the clear on-screen
instructions, lean back and hey presto you are installed and ready to go!
Do seek out a section in the instructions called "Mission Tips" they are
precisely that, offering constructive tips for the missions. I had several
"Oh, now I know how to do that" moments, so my brethren it's well
worth a read before you embark on that mission.
In Use
To start you off in the wonderful world of being a rescue pilot, you have to
access the mission list and you will see all the Rescue Pilot flights are now
visible in the mission list within the beginner, intermediate and expert
level choices. You can if you wish select the JF Rescue Missions only so all
12 are on easy view.
I know we all tend to jump straight to expert, because we are all experts
and do not need to go to the beginner level right? Ok, I guess
it’s a man thing! Well resist! Take your time, in fact work through all 12
missions in sequence. Not only does allow you to get accustomed to the
instructions and get to grips with the aircraft on offer in the rescue
fleet, but also allows you get to grips with the navigation aids, and the
co-pilot’s interactive conversation.
Some of the missions make reference to one of the previous missions flown,
so please start at the beginning and all will make perfect sense.
You will notice that the aircraft are shown in a rescue style livery, well
actually I did not particularly like the first colour scheme, so, from the
Select a Paint Scheme/Create A Company Sign option, I was able to change the
colour schemes of the aircraft and the font for my rescue company name.
There are a set of standard options on offer, but if you are particularly
creative, you can ‘magic’ up a scheme, why not a bespoke company sign as
well? All can be achieved within this very handy and easy to use facility.
I opted for one of the colour schemes presented, a striking white and red
scheme, I felt more indicative of the emergency nature of the fleet.
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Heart transplant on the ground ready for the off |
At the hold as another Angel flight is landing |
So, ready for the off, but first make a mission selection. I decided to work
through the mission list sequentially with the first one being in the
beginner selection, "Car Crash".
I stood outside the main crew building being informed from the invisible
co-pilot that the helo was the most suitable for this rescue. At this point
I am, ingeniously, another aircraft made up to be a pilot on foot. So
using the throttle I started to walk and increasing the throttle increased
my pace to a run aiming for the helo on the pad. As you get within a
metre or so you are given an option to fly the helo, select yes, you then
appear in the helo hot, all running ready for the off. (I would have
preferred the co-pilot starts the aircraft, so you hear the engines run up).
The co-pilot then gets the clearance for you, and provides directional
information, direction etc, FAB!
To further assist you, you have the option of a pointer on view over the
‘target’, I thought this was a great feature. You have the also have the
option to remove the visual identification if you wish, relying on your own
navigation.
A really great feature is you can part complete a mission and save it and
when you return, you can continue, without adverse effects. Nice,
also, if the postman arrives or you need to cut the lawn, by pressing ‘P’
you can pause the action, press ‘P’ again and rejoin the mission, again a
useful and nice touch.
Once you compete a mission successfully you are rewarded by a medal in the
record of achievement option and of course you get a verbal congratulations
message for a job well done.
At the various airports you visit, take notice of the traffic,
including the base airport, you will witness a mass of traffic both static
and moving, both on the ground and airborne really adding to the realism.
The attention to the various buildings is also worthy of note.
The ATC will also make reference to this aircraft traffic which does give
you the impression you are sharing the skies with other people.
The keen of eye will realise I have not covered any of the 12 missions in
depth, if I did this review end up the length of a set of encyclopaedias! So
I have tried to provide an overview.