Really 3 & 1/2 stars.Normally, I shy away from any flightsim or trainsim add-on with the word "Abacus" in front of it. In my experience, Abacus Publishing has had a nasty habit of selling very mediocre products at full pop. However, I must admit that Flight Deck 3 is actually a very decent package.
I was most impressed by the carrier and I can't say I've seen a prettier one for FS2002 anywhere - payware or freeware. The textures are done very nicely (screenshots on Abacus' website don't do it justice) and it also sports moving radar dishes and a modeled lower deck. The elevators don't work, however, and a flag fluttering in the breeze would have been nice. The deck does have some static vehicles and crewmen, but no static aircraft. Night-lighting is also done nicely, though a more knowledgeable bloke informed me that it is not completely accurate and the carrier is conspicuously missing a meatball. While the carrier does have a wake painted in the water, the ship doesn't actually move - an unfortunate limitation of FS2002.
All in all, though, a first-class piece of scenery.
Aside from the gorgeous carrier, the program does come with 5 aircraft: an F18, F14, Harrier, E2C Hawkeye, and a CH46 helicopter. While all of the virtual cockpits are acceptable, I found the exterior modeling and flight physics to be very average compared to other payware planes. I have a FREEWARE F18, F14, and several helicopters that literally put these planes to shame. The F18, in particular, has landing gear that is always in the taxiing "collapsed" position, even when the plane is on approach. The Harrier is probably the best aircraft in the package and, though it doesn't look quite as good as Alphasim's, does have a more realistically difficult flight model. Either way, I would have been perfectly happy with the carrier by itself.
The biggest reason for carrier ops fans to buy this package, however, has to do with the ArrCab program that comes with it. Once freeware, but now solely licensed to Abacus, this program operates within FS2002 to deliver the carrier launches and cable arrested landings that the sim normally lacks. And considering the limitations of FS2002, I thought these effects were very well done. The Abacus package gives you the same carrier (U.S.S. George Washington) in 4 different locations around the globe but, if this isn't enough, the ArrCab utility allows the user to specify their own location for these effects. (namely any freeware add-on carriers)
If Abacus had really wanted to make this an outstanding product, they could have tried to implement some flights with real, recorded carrier ATC. (and hooked up with some better aircraft) Of course, as long as I'm dreaming, I'd also like some static aircraft on the deck, dynamic aircraft in the pattern, working elevators, waving flags, and a pony. The lack of any aural interaction with the tower does hurt the realism factor, but with the prettiest carrier out there and the ArrCab utility, I don't think there's currently anything else on the market to equal Flight Deck 3.
