So, I’m a bit of an SL aviator, as I’ve blogged in the past. Over the course of the last 12+ months in particular, I’ve become quite partial to DSA aircraft, having both the C90 King Air GTx and the C33 Debonair. I particularly like this make due to the ability to swap between wheel and floats for the landing gear without having to swap the plane in and out of inventory.
As a result of various things, I found myself at the weekend debating whether to add another DSA ‘plane to my collection – and if so, which one. I was caught between the Model 17 Staggerwing biplane, the Spitfire and the G58 Baron. In the end, on Sunday, the latter won out – although the Staggerwing could well be a future acquisition!
The G58 is another twin-engined plane, sitting between the Debonair and King Air in size, offering seating for up to 5 avatars + the pilot. It’s a smart-looking, clear design which hasn’t really aged over the decades, and comes supplied in DSA’s usual offering of the default black / red / white Beechcraft colours. Having converted to using VetronUK’s paint and scripting options my ‘planes, I also grabbed a paint pack and Vetron’s float rocking and enhanced lighting scripts for the Baron.
Vetron paint kits are simple to use; drop a script into the plane, wear the HUD, click a button to add the paint scheme, then use the Advanced option to add materials to various surfaces, and add any other options supplied with the kit (the Debonair paint kits, for example, allow you to re-texture the cockpit dash with a new set of controls, while the King Air’s kit allows you to switch between the C90 and C90 GTx variants). A full set of maps are supplied full perm with each kit, making customising them easy.
For the Baron’s paint scheme, I didn’t stray too far from that supplied by the kit: just some small tweaks, the addition of my own registration and familiar monogram, plus a little work on the floats so that they better matched the rest of the ‘plane.
The enhanced lights and rocking scripts (L$25 each) simply drop into the ‘plane (make sure you purchase the scripts designed for your aircraft). The lighting script greatly enhances the aircraft’s nav, strobe and landing lights, while the rocking script is Linden Water sensing, and when on water with the floats deployed, adds a rocking motion to the aircraft as well as the sound of water lapping against the floats, etc. When on land, the rocking ceases (although I’ve found the sound continues to loop).
If you’ve flown any DSA ‘plane, you’ll know how the Baron handles: very well. The HUD is the usual DSA offering and works exactly as expected. In addition, the Baron share’s the Debonair / Bonanza engine sounds (and, indeed, paint templates). Once in the air and trimmed, with the yoke set to wide, the Baron is again great fun and graceful. It handles region crossings with the usual DSA aplomb and accepts aerobatics well, if you’re so inclined, and perhaps with a little more grace than the King Air.
In buying the Baron, I had it in mind to maybe swap it with the King Air as my main twin-engined ‘plane, and then perhaps swapping the Deb for the Staggerwing. However, with only 7 LI difference between the Deb (39) and the Baron (46), I ended up retiring the Deb to inventory instead. Plus, I simply adore the King Air, so I also gave it a new Vetron paint finish, again with my own small touches, so it and the Baron share similar designs. Sort of her-and-her outfits, you might say 🙂 .
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 