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FS Aircraft Review Dassault Rafale A, C, and M
by Cyril Pioffet
(Reviewed December 2002)
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A couple of months ago announcements started popping up in the French language
Flight Simulator forums from a developer named "Gator" for a new Rafale under
construction. These announcements also included in-flight
screenshots of what looked like an aircraft that was ready for release even then.
But as Cyril Pioffet (Gator) explained, there was still much to be done. Now
it is finally here and it is well worth the wait. I'm sure my video card and
these resulting images do not do this one justice. It is a very well made
model of the latest in the long line of Dassault fighter aircraft.
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The aircraft handles very well. There is only a slight fluttering at speeds over
900 kts but it is very mild. There is no visible afterburner effect, but the
diameter of the exhaust nozzles does change with the throttle settings.
Acceleration is very fast and before you know it you'll find yourself above FL300.
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Cyril made his Rafale using GMax. The aircraft has been fully animated.
The textures of all three versions have been made
reflective. There are actually five aircraft included in the package; optional
versions with in-flight refueling probes are included for the Rafale A and Rafale C.
The probe is standard on the Rafale M (left).
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In aircraft selection Cyril has called this one the Rafale A because it wears
the original Prototype colors of the 1980s. Refueling probe options are
included for the C and M versions. The
gear retraction sequence is very quick and smooth leaving very few doors open
to cause drag.
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The canopy opens and closes (Shift-E) with a nice pause at the beginning and end of
the sequence. Once the canopy is up the pilot's visor is raised and he looks to
the left. The landing gear is well detailed and includes the differences between
the Rafale C (Armée de l'Air) and Rafale M (Aéronavale).
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The Virtual Cockpit (VC) is very well done. All of the instruments from the 2D
cockpit are still functional in the VC. The Head Up Display (HUD) and Intercept
radar are from Eric Marciano's F-16 which was a result of his work on the
Mirage 4000 with Romain Lucas. The glass MFD gauges and
rear view mirrors have convincing reflective textures.
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This is a great looking and flying aircraft package. It includes five aircraft, a
fully functional Virtual Cockpit, and a custom sound package. All this and additional
screen shots showing the development history are available for download and viewing from Cyril
(Gator) Pioffet's
GMaxFlight website. Another review with screenshots is available at
flightsimworld.com
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Header image Copyright Dassault Aviation.
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