It is often forgotten how long jet airliners have been around for, and this fine add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator serves to emphasise this fact. The Trident series of aircraft that took to the skies between 1962 and 1986 is not a plane that you are going to find flying into your local airport, and many - like me - may not have even heard of the Trident. Add to this the fact that only 117 were ever built and you have a rare plane! To this end I will attempt to fill you in on a very brief history of the Trident, to give an idea of what they were about and to see just how real this representation of the trident is.

As far back as 1957, BEA had need of an aircraft with at least 80 seats and a range of 1000 NM - so specification was issued to this affect. After many design and specification revisions and subsequent delays in production relating to these, the Hawker-Siddeley (formerly the Trident concept was designed by de Havilland - which became part of Hawker-Siddeley) Trident was built and made its maiden flight in January 1962. This aircraft became the first tri-jet in history to take to the skies, the engine configuration giving the plane its name, and at the peak of its operation it became one of the fastest airliners of its time.

Over the years, several variants were constructed to various briefs, but the major downfall of the Trident project was the fact that in the beginning it was commissioned for just one airline. It was also short range, underpowered and a handful in the air. To rectify some of these problems, the Trident 2 project commenced. These aircraft were much improved over the original Trident, with more powerful Spey 512 engines and a much better range. The first Trident 2 entered service in 1968.

Later still, Trident 3 entered service in 1970 and was born when BEA needed to replace the Vanguard and Comet fleets. After exploring several avenues, the Trident 3, with its 16ft 5in stretched fuselage and improved capacity of 180 pax, was the preferred choice. With no new engines available to counter the extra weight that the larger fuselage and extra passengers created, the limited power of the Spey was insufficient. To rectify the situation, a small booster had to be fitted in the base of the tail. This gave the Trident a shorter take off or an increase in capacity, while this extra engine and a decrease in fuel capacity in the design meant a shorter range then the Trident 2 offered.

One major benefit Trident had, and a great innovation for its time, was its ability to land using its automatic landing system. This system was developed in conjunction with Smiths Industries and was passed for use by the CAA in 1972. Unfortunately for Trident, by 1972 the Boeing 727 was well established as the aircraft of choice for many of the world's airlines and because of this, only 117 trident aircraft were ever built. Because BEA and later British Airways kept the Trident in service, they became one of their longest serving aircraft and remained in service with the Chinese Air Force until the mid 1990s. Tridents were a relatively common site at British airports all over the UK in the 1980s and this add-on is an excellent nostalgia trip for all aviation enthusiasts.

My first experience with this add-on illustrates how accurate the representation of this aircraft is here. I decided to take a Trident 1 for a 'spin'. Big mistake - I ran out of runway! The Trident 1 was a notoriously difficult craft to handle - as is demonstrated to the full in this add-on! Inside the plane, all fans of classic airliners will be positively trembling with the need to press the buttons, handles and switches as they look upon the eye candy in front of them in the virtual cockpit - not one of them is out of place!

The representation here is superlative and illustrates the time and research devoted to this product. You will notice that, given the time period, the cockpit looks very dated when compared to the latest Airbus 'fly-by-wire' 'flight office', but nonetheless creates the right atmosphere and is faithful in its reproduction. You will notice the Smiths Industries automatic landing system, developed to allow pilots to land blind, as found on the real thing, again fully functional and true to the original. Seating areas and wing-views are also well recreated and illustrate the era with impeccable attention to detail. Outside the plane, paint schemes capture the period with authenticity and all moving parts are represented properly - rolling tyres, rotating engine fans, moving flaps, slats, rudder and spoilers - everything you would expect, down to the last rivet! Landing lights are correct and lighting and night effects realistic.

Aircraft handling and dynamics are, as found in many other add-ons available for FS2004 from this developer "as real as can be," and without flying one of these veterans of the sky, it would be hard to discredit this claim. The Trident, especially the early examples (Trident 1) was an aircraft with a reputation for being difficult to handle and this trait is very noticeable if you choose to fly one. Performance and range are also true to the real thing, so don't expect to cross the Atlantic!

This add-on comes very nicely packaged with a good printed manual, a welcome change from a pdf manual (although a pdf manual is also available). This manual gives a fantastic introduction to the history of this craft, as well as installation information, troubleshooting and full instructions on the operation of the various incarnations of the Trident.

I unwrapped and installed this add-on with no knowledge of what I had let myself in for, and being a fan of modern jetliners, I had little interest in the little known Trident. However, I have flown this plane in its various guises for well over 24 hours now and can't get enough of the 'real' flying you have to do in an older aircraft. Even though these old planes were advanced for their time, there wasn't the level of technical sophistication we see today - the people who flew these craft were real pilots!

Trident is very hard to criticise; running without fault and with no detriment to the usual running of FS2004, it resurrects a classic jetliner and returns you to the 1960s with style. The only thing I could possibly think of against the package is the fact that you only get one type of plane, but given the level of realism and obvious effort that this add-on represents on the part of the developers, this can be overlooked! Of all the add-ons that I have tested, Trident is for sure the best classic airliner available for FS2004. A niche market, but the best I have seen, and surely one for the collection!

Reviewed by Reuben Glossop for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).