BN-2 Islander

My flying instructor who is now a very close friend was an islander air ambulance pilot. He has some phenomenal stories from those days. I could listen to him talk for hours about the challenges those guys faced. He transitioned to King airs later and it was still pretty white knuckled. Amazing guy.

2 Likes

That will be 106…and counting :grin:

I had a BN-2 for FSX - I really liked it. I’ll also be getting this.

I’m pretty sure the count will be higher by the time that the Islander is released. Pretty sure indeed. ;).

1 Like

While I do not know exactly how many specific aircraft models I have in FSX, I had a FSTweaks management app that counted each aircraft skin…last time I looked it was over 1700…yeah…not good.

Which is why in XP11 I am severely limiting my purchases - but a good BN2 s a must have! . :grin:

1 Like

The developer (TorqueSim) also published a link to the (beta) manual online. I haven’t bought it yet…$40 is a bit rich for me at this point with so much goodness already in my hangar. I’ll probably pick it up on a sale at some point…

EDIT - Quick look at the manual (25 pages) shows it is a pretty bare bones manual. Not much in the way of true systems descriptions…more like a checklist and basic operating manual at this point.

1 Like

The TorqueSim Islander is available for $39.95 at X-Aviation (who also have a shiny new website)…

http://www.x-aviation.com/catalog/product_info.php/torquesim-islander-p-177

I’m not sure I will be biting on this one, but time will tell, it might grow on me.

3 Likes

First mod is already out too…a “backcountry” darker panel

2 Likes

I do like that darker panel… but I bought another couple of gliders for Condor 2 last night so…must…resist. :dizzy_face:

1 Like

I’m tempted… Semester ends next week, so I’ll have time for a life again after that. I’ll keep y’all posted.

1 Like

Sounds like the real aircraft manual. Just remember key speeds are all 65 knots.

3 Likes

Twenty years ago

8 Likes

I would get this just to see if it’s as hilariously bad as described.

5 Likes

Yeah…that write-up made it sound like the airplane equivalent of the '89 Chevy Cavalier I was forced to drive in Driver’s Ed.
Or, for that matter, pretty much any other GM car in the '80’s and '90’s.

2 Likes

Something I and no one else mentioned are the Islanders overhead lights, located above each pilot. They are attached to a curly wire, the same as an ‘old’ curly telephone’ cable. If you reach up they can be pulled out of their mounting so you can position the light where you need it. Very handy on the ground looking for that thing you dropped as you got in the aircraft. Each light is in a solid metal casing and protrudes down from the roof at an angle directly above your head. Bit like a spike. As you bounce up in turbulence it strikes your head very painfully. I knew of one pilot who wore a bone dome to prevent this. It didnt work as the bone dome shattered after a winter season.

I can’t find a photo of the light but thought I would share these finishing with the last one being my final BN2B that I flew. from Shetland.

Its worth noting that historically pilots don’t walk away from a good islander crash.


image
image
islander1

5 Likes

The wing no longer being perpendicular to the fuselage is something even I might spot on the preflight walkaround… :bulb:

3 Likes

Remember to ask your TRI why that isn’t so on the PC-24… :wink:

4 Likes

Bit of gaffer tape…

Actually I need to amend my previous statement. Sounds like british planes from that period had the same level of care and attention to detail put into their engineering as cars from that time.

How was the electrical system and gauges?

1 Like

Everything worked. OK I once lost both engines inside ten days on the same aircraft (Lycomings) and the pitot heater failed once at night in icing and IFR.

@Navynuke99 Engine failure on Fair Isle. Everything for the engine change had to be flown in. It took five days.
.


The elegance and romance of airline pilots. I borrowed the boiler suit (tied at waist with string) from a crofter (farmer), the boots from a fisherman and the hat from a different fisherman. The jacket was mine. The oil on my jacket came from the propellor accumulator. The engineer John Owara had me hold the weight of the prop while he undid the bolts. The oil went all over me.
fairisle attire

6 Likes

Yeah, this is reminding me more and more of the sagas of my dad’s '73 GT6+, the cute girl next door’s '69 Spitfire, and my high school soccer teammate’s '65 MGB. The latter was offered to me for just under two grand, and my dad declared that I was absolutely not going to subject the family to another British sports car, as there weren’t enough tools/ workspace/ spare parts to share.

3 Likes