Captain Sim 737 Review

Intro

Captain Sim is without any doubt, one of the best addon creators for Flight Simulator X, from antique and legendary Boeing 727, to the sleek and ultra-modern 777, Captain Sim delivers on great experiences for flying virtual airliners. Their 737-200 series is certainly no exception to the quality Captain Sim puts into their aircraft. The real Boeing 737-200 was a big step for Boeing in the 1960’s, which allowed airlines to utilize the power and capacity of jet aircraft, but in a much smaller package that allows jets to land at smaller airports and run for less money.

Exterior

The exterior model looks absolutely fantastic. There are a lot of details, such as the dirty fuselage on some liveries, the shine of the engine nacelles, and even some of the rivets on the fuselage that shimmer in the sunlight. The exterior is also much more detailed than your average FSX airplane, which is a payware addon standard, but is almost on the same level as PMDG’s 737NG addon, which boasts one of the most detailed external models for FSX addons out there. Even the beautiful (if not dirty) smoke on takeoff from the engines looks amazing, and certainly adds to the experience of flying a retro jet airliner.

Another thing I like about the external model is the wealth of free liveries available for the 737-200. However, one gripe I have is that Captain Sim has additional model expansions of the 737-200 series including the -100, -200C/-200 Combi, and the -200 ADV as additional purchases from the base 737’s package, and while these are some nice additions, some of the liveries require those model addons. So your choices for liveries would be limited if you don’t own one of the model expansions required for the livery.

Additionally, some features on the 737-200 can also be opened/closed, through a menu that allows parts of the aircraft to be opened, such as the maintenance doors for the engines, the passenger doors, the emergency exit passages over the wings, the cargo bay doors (On the starboard side for all models, and the port-side for the Cargo and Combi models), and the front radome that houses the aircraft’s radar equipment. I could spend my time with this aircraft to the ground playing with these features rather than flying the aircraft.

Interior

The cockpit of the 737-200 is beautiful and detailed as it is complex and charming. Almost every switch on the various panels are intractable, and they all serve their purpose, such as for starting and shutting down the aircraft, checking the power sources of the aircraft (APU, battery, generators, test, etc), turning on the exterior lights, and the autopilot’s various modes. Aside from these functional features, there are some nice additional features, like the flip-down compass near the overhead panel, the windows that can be opened while on the ground, bugs or makers around certain instruments like the airspeed indicator to mark out certain desired airspeeds for the pilot to maintain, as well as a checklist bug for the checklist printed out on the yoke, or the steering-wheel of the aircraft. Another amazing thing about the 737-200, is that it is the first Boeing built aircraft that does not require a flight engineer in the cockpit.

Cockpit aside, you can even walk into the cabin, which has some spectacular detail. For example, you can open and close the cockpit door, the overhead bins, the seatback tray tables, the window shades, and even the bathroom doors, in case you want to virtually answer nature’s call. While not a necessary addition, it certainly is a nice addition of detail overall.

Pros/Cons

Pros

Cons

Final Verdict

Many flight simmers agree that Captain Sim makes some really good addons for FSX, and the Captain Sim 737-200 series is no stranger to Captain Sims level of quality.