Review by: Emil Pagliarulo
Published: August 14, 1998

“Come, fly a-WAY!” Oops, sorry…wrong airline. But you get the idea — flying the big birds, the passenger planes, on their routes around the world. How often have you sat in a plane, trying desperately to catch a glimpse inside the cockpit, if only to see the myriad of gauges, buttons, and switches? Alpha Software’s The Planes of Airbus add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator 95/98 attempts to dispel the mystery, by offering players the chance to fly the fleet of Airbus Industrie aircraft.

In order to appreciate The Planes of Airbus as an add-on, it’s important to understand the company’s background. Located in Tolouse, France (the aeronautical center of Europe) Airbus Industrie took flight in 1970 when France and Germany agreed to jointly fund the company; this success only grew when Spain and Great Britain later came on as partners. As a result, Airbus is today one of the world’s largest manufacturers of aircraft, second only to Boeing.

As an add-on, The Planes of Airbus attempts to be a tribute not so much to flying, but to the art, industry, and science that is commercial aviation. Instead of featuring tourist sites located around France and other European countries, the designers took a different approach, by concentrating on those buildings and locations of specific aeronautic interest. For example, at the Clement Ader factory, where A330s and 340s are constructed, you will find all of the real buildings (including the curiously designed new control tower), as well as a derelict Concorde sitting idle, never to fly again.

And of course, there are the planes. The Planes of Airbus includes 44 new aircraft for your flying pleasure: All are large, detailed, and as much a challenge to fly as anything you’ve ever encountered. Most of the differences, though, are external, marked by each plane’s unique airline-specific paint job. There’s Swiss Air, with the unmistakable red cross; Fed-Ex, for those essential overnight deliveries; the almost pelican-shaped jumbo jet of Skylink; and of course the unforgettable Concorde, fastest jet in the world.

The Planes of Airbus also comes complete with four new pre-made flights and two new adventures. “Beluga Approach Blagnac,” “Blagnac 15L,” “Final Approach Lasbordes,” and “Toulouse Tour at Night” make up the new flights, and are all pretty self-explanatory, taking place in close proximity to the Airbus Industrie headquarters in Tolouse. The two adventures — “Air Inter Blagnac Approach” and “Alitalia Blagnac Approach”– are really little more than new flights, and offer the player the chance to fly to and land at Blagnac in two different planes.

Is The Planes of Airbus a good add-on to Microsoft Flight Simulator? I guess that depends on just what you expect in an add-on. Personally, I expect major changes and improvements. In a 3D game, I want more weapons, monsters, and levels. In an RPG, more adventures, places to explore, and magic to learn. In a flight simulator, there are plenty of new things that can be offered: new planes, new locations, new missions, new scripted sequences. Airbus certainly adds new planes — 44 to be exact — and some new scenery. If that’s all you want, then you’ll be satisfied. But personally I wanted, and expected, a whole lot more.