This Shergood 305 is an SL reproduction of the classic Brantly 305 helicopter. The Brantly 305 was originally introduced in the 1960s. It uses a 305hp fuel-injected six cylinder horizontally opposed Lycoming IVO-540 engine. The 305 seats five and has wheels for ground taxi.
The SA-FE (Shergood Aviation Flight Engine) engine driving this virtual reproduction is the most advanced and realistic in SL. It was designed and created by an RL helicopter pilot. The engine is purely physics based and features independent control of cyclic, collective, throttle and anti-torque pedals enabling true power-off autorotations. Features include:
* Independent cyclic, collective, throttle and anti-torque controls
* Force/torque based physics model
* Working yaw string can be used as reference to coordinate cyclic and pedal inputs.
* Realism features can be enabled or disabled to adjust level of difficulty.
* Helicopter weight changes as fuel is burned.
* Weight dependent performance (fuel and passengers)
* Main rotor torque (pedals must be used to compensate)
* Independent engine and rotor RPM
* True power-off autorotations
* Ground effect increases lift near surfaces (land, water, or prim)
* Translational lift increases lift with forward airspeed
* Translating tendency results in a "left skid low" look during hover.
* Vortex ring state danger exists when helicopter is mishandled
* Working electrical system with rechargeable battery.
* Refueling system with fuel quantity control
* Realistic piston helicopter sounds
* Advanced lighting effects
* Accessible engine compartment
* Detailed mesh design
* Fully functioning dual controls
* Paint kit system for user customizable painting
* Unique N-number and serial number assigned to each aircraft
* HOBBS meter tracks total time on aircraft
* Access control system: owner only, guest or registered pilots
* Passenger control - enable/disable use of passenger seat, or kick passenger
* Dust/water effects when hovering near a surface
* Animated hand and foot movements track moving cockpit controls
* Collision detection/crash system alerts on crashes
* Free upgrades
WARNING - This helicopter is designed for expert/advanced SL pilots seeking a realistic flight experience requiring practice and skill to master.
See item in Second Life
Not nearly as good as the B2B
I love Shergood helicopters and own most of them. I got this one recently and have had nothing but problems with it. The V1.0 no longer is able to cross sims so I had a lot of trouble getting the V1.1 which had been developed, but not released.
Even when I got a working version its almost impossible to fly, even with fine control settings on. Only buy this is you are an actual rl helicopter pilot. If you want a fun small helicopter to play with, buy the B2B which is a much better machine.
Difficult to fly, but rewarding.
With a long, accurate startup that is somewhat tricky to get the hang of, delicate controls and excellent realism in terms of flight handling characteristics, this Brantly feels just as it should. While definitely not for those just starting out in SL flight, or any flight simulation at all, I would recommend this to anyone interested in dedicating some actual time to learning a rewarding flight simulation system, especially considering it's been accomplished on SL.
While there are more straight-forward designs of flight models out there, I personally find this one to be the most rewarding once you've got the hang of it. With simulated aerodynamics, including vortex bubbles and main rotor torque (that are toggleable if you so choose), learning to fly this helicopter feels like actually /learning/ to fly a new vehicle, and I've been at this for a long, long time.
The textures are good overall, excepting the standard exterior textures. They are very badly compressed, and show JPEG speckling all over. Not entirely sure why they were compressed so poorly, but it's ugly and makes an otherwise clean model look dirty and shoddy. However, custom textures are relatively easy, and not to plug myself, paint kits can be had for cheap prices from the right people.
With 'cheats' to get around the hard stuff if you don't want to deal with it at the time, customizability, and an excellent, complex flight system, but with badly defaced exterior textures, this aircraft is definitely something to consider if you want to deepen your portfolio of flying machines, especially if you enjoy the raw thrill of flight with no one holding your hand.
Poseurs need not apply.
