The C-17 Globemaster III is the workhorse of the United States Air Force. It is optimized for short runway operations, and its uses vary from carrying the President’s limousine to delivering troops overseas. Dawson Design and Virtavia created a fully 3D C-17 model for X-Plane, and it came out very well.
From the many multi-function displays to the to the joystick pedestal, the cockpit is very realistic. The cargo bay gives you the cavernous feeling you get in the real C-17. Under the captain’s HUD there are a few buttons, they let you select which seat in the cockpit you would like to position view (First Officer seat and jump seats). You can also bring up the control panel, there you can control how much fuel and cargo to carry. Also you can operate the cargo and crew doors. The FMS utilizes the default X-Plane system but has some slightly different graphics. Also, you must turn it on separately from the other avionics.
Overall this is a very nice aircraft with a very accurate cockpit. I had the privilege of walking around a C-17 at Oshkosh this past summer, and I have found this model very true to the real one. It is on sale for $26.21 until 12/30/12. You can pick it up at the x-plane.org store. While you are flying this aircraft, it will become clear the skill level of the designers. They really have their act together!
See ya’ later!
Thomson
