Something we would like to see done more often - FlyingStations created the Westland Wyvern for both Flight Sim X and Thirdwire Wings Series. The models are the same as are the cockpits, the flight model feels very similar - that is, it is a challenging aircraft to fly very much prone to stall and high landing speeds, one can imagine the challenge it was to land the real thing in a small Aircraft Carrier.
This is a freeware model, that is as good as any pay ware version - and very much worth your time giving it a try.
for the Flight Sim X
for the Wings Over Vietnam Sim:
Hopefully in the future Eagle Dynamics will open its Flight Sim to this type of add on - creating a whole world of possibilities.
for a more detailed review, click on the Read More link.
Adding this model is done with an .exe installer. I chose to install it in Wings over Vietnam instead of the recommended Wings Over Israel, FSX is the Acceleration Version.
First impression is that this is an elegant warplane , the last of its breed.
How does it fly in both Sims ? They are very similar. I found that the FlyingStations Westland Wyvern fully loaded with fuel has somewhat sluggish controls and ineffective rudder response , high stall speed and a poor turn rate . Landings are tricky even with a low fuel load due to high landing speed made harder because of poor downward vision and if you lose too much speed it takes a while to regain it.
It is very much fun to fly it.
Unlike Thirdwire Sims which have a more forgiving landing and take-off Flight Model - FSX can be quite challenging , the Wyvern bounces up and down easily once you touch down with a strong tendency to drift sideways and I found bringing it to a halt a harrowing experience : it takes forever to stop. Take-off needs good runway length and a prayer if you catch a crosswind.
In WoV its best weapon is short range rockets , precise free fall bomb use is ineffectual due to its almost inexistent aiming capabilities, leaving to pilot skill the decision when to fire.
To give a bit of background about the Wyvern - in real life , Westland tried to wrangle the last ounce of performance from its then novel variable pitch contra rotating Turboprop engine so as to try to match the performance of jets, because of that, it is fast - but ended up not being fast enough to remain a viable front line fighter for more than a few years. The Wyvern also was a pioneer in the use of Ejection Seats in the Royal Navy, something its pilots where no doubt thankful for. In Royal Navy service it saw action in the Suez Crisis in 1956 and its career ended a couple of years later, less than 130 were made and a quarter or so were lost in accidents.
In both Flight Sims it is a well finished model , the cockpit is outstanding and it comes with a number of different Royal Navy liveries to choose from , it looks somewhat better in FSX but it has a more real feel in Thirdwire WOV thanks to the weapons it can carry. A lot of research and work clearly went into this project and as a result both versions have very good flight models and it feels authentic.
for the Flight Sim X
for the Wings Over Vietnam Sim:
The Flying Stations team is currently adding the finishing touches to the HMS Victorious FSX/FS2004 which will allow for catapult launches and arrested recovery -something to look froward to.
the Westland Wyvern was was produced by Flyingstations team members Philip 'Skippy Bing' Chandler, Fraser 'Sketchy 74' Paterson and Richard Ruscoe .
Posted on Sunday, February 15 @ 06:34:12 PST by Tom_Weiss
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