No Money Mondays: Embraer EMB-200 Ipanema

January 9, 2021
Alexandre Faroux
nobody, apparently.
Community

Today, we will be taking a look at the Embraer EMB-200 Ipanema by Bruno Reichert. Since its original release on the X-Plane.org Forums in July 2020, the freeware add-on has been downloaded over 5,800 times. 

During the 1960s, the Federative Republic of Brazil’s agricultural industry went through an important period of growth. The expansion of fields required new solutions for the dispersion of chemicals. Engineers from the Aeronautics Technological Institute were mandated to build an aeroplane to carry the task. Making its maiden flight in 1970, the EMB-200 was equipped with a 260 hp piston engine. In 1982, the aircraft became part of the Embraer family. The Embraer EMB-202 variant first flew in 1992, the aircraft received numerous aerodynamic upgrades and an increase in capacity. Due to the low cost of ethanol in Brazil, an ethanol-powered version has been available since 2004. 

To start off, the aircraft features a set of high-definition 4K textures which are simply exceptional both inside of the cockpit and on the exterior model. The developer made outstanding use of X-Plane’s physically based rendering, providing accurate reflections without creating an over-glossy appearance. The 3D modelling is also incredibly accurate when compared to pictures and plans of the real aircraft. The attention to detail can be seen on the aeroplane’s airspray system which has been modelled with great attention to detail. 

The Ipanema features a completely custom made 3D cockpit. Only equipped with a few steam gauges, the aircraft is only qualified for visual operations. A GNS530 GPS and transponder can also be added to the aircraft in the settings. 

To please pilots who enjoy simulating agricultural operations, the add-on features a custom-coded spraying system that makes use of X-Plane’s particle system. The spraying equipment can also be removed in the menu. Please note that in order to use the system, you must bind a key or a button to the feature, as explained in the manual.

Bruno Reichert also included a possibility to remove winglets and the spraying equipment to recreate different configurations of the Embraer EMB-200. 

The aeroplane is fully compatible with Vulkan, however, the add-on does not support the MAC OS interface. Virtual Reality is also supported thanks to our friends at SimVRLabs who have created a VR implementation available on our forums. 

Even though the sounds are not comparable to the prestigious soundsets made by AudiobirdXP or Blue Sky Star Simulations, they remain authentic and up to the X-Plane 11 standards making use of the FMOD technology. 

Extensive documentation and checklists are provided in both English and Portuguese in the package, a scarcity in the world of freeware flight simulation add-ons. 

I am no Embraer Ipanema pilot. However, the flying characteristics of the aircraft seem correct. It behaves as it was built to behave, extremely manoeuvrable while maintaining low-speed flying and short-field landing capacities to accomplish its agricultural role. It must be stated that the aircraft seems to be extremely sensitive and the pitch trim adjustments are bulky. I therefore recommend a good joystick or yoke to correctly fly the Embraer. 

Four different liveries are included in the pack: PT-UNZ, PT-ULA, PP-ZPK and 0157.

The Embraer EMB-200 Ipanema is Bruno Reichert’s first aircraft for the X-Plane 11 simulator and I can affirm that it is one of the top general aviation add-ons outrunning many payware developers. The attention to detail fully immerses the pilot, making it perfect for the avid flight-simmer. 

Bruno Reichert’s Embraer EMB-200 Ipanema is available on the X-Plane.org Forums for free, with a donation link also available on the post. 


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