Thanks all for your worthwhile comments. Alan just about summed up for me as well - I agree. I'm looking more favorably at the Super now. Howard

They are really such different planes that a comparison falters, kind of like comparing the PMDG MD-11 with the Captain Sim 727. Both are really great, and completely different. I think you'll find the flight modeling on the Flight Replicas plane surprisingly good. With the tundra tires, you can do the "skip across the water to the beach" landing. It's fun.

I have both packages, and enjoy them for entirely different reasons. Please note I have always had a dog in the fight with the A2A Cub, as I am closely associated with that team with my promotional work and quality assurance. That being said, Mike over at Flight Replicas, along with Tom who helped with the flight dynamics, did an outstanding job.The Super Cub and the regular Cub are indeed two very different birds. That being said, these packages take two different approaches to developing in FS. The A2A model as it sits focuses on a core Piper Cub with a few variations such as floats, tundra tires, skis, etc. The Flight Replicas model is more dynamic in that it simulates a wider variety of planes in a multitude of setups. Even the flight dynamics of the two planes are differently modelled. In the A2A model, brake stands are dynamic and can be controlled. In the Flight Replicas model, it is more linear in fashion. Both are convincingly good however, but to compare them would do an injustice to both models.Visually, once again, they are modelled differently. A2A takes the approach of limited pixel modelling (as much as necessary really), with heavy texturing and extremely high texture maps. Flight Replicas did almost the opposite. They both handle exceptionally well FPS wise, considering the detail put into both. There is little cockpit variation other than stylistic repaints of the interior in the A2A offering, etc, but the FR model has several types with different gauge and radio options.In terms of fun factor, they also again are completely different. The A2A Cub is a hoot due to the environment, and if you have Accusim, Heidi can be a blast as well. The A2A Cub likely just won't get into the same airfields that the Super Cub can however. The A2A Cub, as in real life, is fairly gutless, wheras a 210 HP Super Cub can climb at a 30 angle with ease.These packages are so utterly different, it is VERY hard to compare them except in the areas that they both try to simulate... but even then you are hard pressed. I say get the FR plane if one is interested in extreme bush flying and wants a ton of variation. Get the A2A plane if you are looking for a rich environment and a great little touring plane.This is why I own both. I have never worked with FR, but I have always had a lot of respect for his work, and he has excellent customer service. You can't go wrong with either.

I broke down and bought the FR Super Cub last night. Was able to fly only briefly, but can give a quick capsule report.The short version is - Cody (Jaggyroad Films) nailed it, not surprisingly. They're very different packages for very different purposes.To me, if I had to pick one, it'd be the A2A J-3 hands-down - for realism, detail, atmosphere, as described. I'd also add, speaking personally, that I love what a J-3 represents - absolute simplicity and seat-of-the-pants basics, with as few moving parts as possible. That's my speed, so to speak.But then, nothing in GA is really competitive with the A2A J-3 right now. So with all that out of the way... the FR Super Cub seems like it's really a blast - a lot of fun.As Cody said, there's a lot of variation among the models. I've only had a chance to try two of them - the standard 150hp model, and N8050C, the tundra-equipped Super Cub owned by Tom, who helped with the flight modeling. I was surprised at how different they were, one to the other. Both of them can be a handful - they don't like to trim out, and need to be flown constantly. N8050C was smoother and more stable, however - the 150hp standard model didn't want to settle in level flight, and needed constant stick and rudder inputs. That may be characteristic of the real a/c (I'm not a pilot IRL, so can't judge). It's also possible that N8050C has other mods that affect the flight characteristics - I'll have to read up.I found the stall characteristics a bit odd. In a power-off stall attempt with N8050C, I was able to keep it mushing along at about 40kts for a minute or more - at the end of which, I found I could flip it onto its back by yanking back on the stick sharply. It then entered a spin, which was recoverable with normal maneuvering. A power-on stall attempt with one notch of flaps in N8050C produces a more normal-seeming break. I couldn't get a stall break in the 150hp standard model no matter what I tried. It could be this is characteristic of the Super Cub - can't say for sure. Also, I don't yet have my controls fully calibrated - I was using an extremely sensitive setup that I use for the A2A Cub, and the FR models may not like that.In normal flight, I found that N8050C was really engaging - handled smartly in turns, offered a great view, and felt like an airplane - though the sense of mass was a little light compared to the RealAir Scout package models. Those are more steady and "disciplined," too, at least as I remember them - have flown the Citabria recently but I still need to do a head-to-head in the Scouts vs. the Super Cubs.Approach and landing behavior was very nice, and yes, you can get them into very tight spaces.In all, I'd say that on first brush, the FR Super Cub is a very nice piece of payware, and great value for what you get - if you're hesitating about it the way I was, don't - you can feel confident about grabbing it. The more useful comparison is probably against the RealAir taildraggers, since the A2A Cub is really its own thing. Your preference might come down to whether you prefer Super Cubs or Scouts - though as I said, I'll try to put this to the test.I hope that I can get some more flying time in tonight and over the weekend - if I can, I'll post more impressions.Hope this helps.Alan

Just had time for a little more testing tonight.The Super Cubs continue to be squirrely but the more I read about them, the more that seems to be the nature of the beast. Tried the experimental model and it's a handful. Am continuing to get the feel of the 150hp variants. Am finding they're nose-heavy with pilot only and need lots of nose-up trim. Could be that it's the trim that leads to the odd-seeming stall characteristics.Have tried various joystick settings and came back to the high-sensitivity ones I use for the A2A Cub. You just have to develop a light touch with the Super Cub.Tried a RealAir Scout with Tundra Tires in the same conditions and found it to be more stable and predictable, with characteristic RealAir inertia and mass. But it's a very different airplane and maybe that's what's reflected.Was also finally persuaded to try the A2A Cub on tundra tires, which I hadn't done before. It's not a bush plane - it's a Cub with tundra tires. But I managed a beach landing and a crosswind runway landing without flipping myself over. The tundra tire modeling is a hoot.In all, the FR Super Cub package continues to be a lot of fun. Takes some getting used to but that's part of the entertainment.For fence-sitters - purchase recommended.Alan

Enormously helpful thread, thanks. I've been agonising over which way to jump.Now I know I need both.So I just gotta agonise over which is first... :(

Enormously helpful thread, thanks. I've been agonising over which way to jump.Now I know I need both.So I just gotta agonise over which is first... :(

Now your on the right track (er' runway)!

Just had time for a little more testing tonight.

Very helpful Alan - thanks - once I get use of my credit card again (wallet stolen the other day), I'll order it. Howard

I just wanted to come back to this thread to add that realism settings make a serious difference in how the Super Cub performs. When I first tried it out, I was using my settings for the A2A J-3, with realism sliders full right. A closer look at the Super Cub manual shows that the recommended realism settings have the sliders set one tick below full, and there are some other changes as well (e.g. "aircraft stress causes damage" should be un-checked). I set up a Super Cub configuration using Orbx' FS Go and found that using the recommended settings smoothed out a lot of the handling. It's still a squirrelly airplane, but not nearly as much as as it was at full realism. Also, I'm no longer having the standard 150 hp model break up on me in midair when I get the airspeed just into the yellow arc (see "aircraft stress causes damage," above). The adjustments leave me with some questions about the flight model (not sure what's going on to cause in-flight breakups at relatively low speeds unless you change that aircraft stress setting) but also with a more satisfying experience. When I have more time, I'll try stalls and slow flight at the new settings and see if the adjustments help there, too.By the way, I'm impressed with FS Go. I've just started using it and haven't nearly explored its full potential, but just the ability to tweak realism settings for different aircraft makes a big difference for me. I always used to set my realism, then leave it alone, because I'd always forget to change it from one aircraft to another. This utility makes it a snap to customize the settings. Now, for example, I can use A2A's recommended settings for the J-3, but switch to a different profile for the Sibwings Bird Dog that adds "stress damages engine" (off in the J-3 because that's taken care of by Accusim). And then of course there are the different across-the-board settings for the Super Cub and different ones again for the RealAir planes (Rob usually recommends mid- to 2/3 realism settings for those). At under $10 Australian, a pretty easy purchase and recommended.More on the Super Cub when I can manage some more testing.Alan

More on the Super Cub when I can manage some more testing.Alan

Thanks Alan for the update. I'm thinking of getting the Standard package to compliment my A2A Cub. Have you flown much with the FR bush planes with tundra tires? If yes, do you find much difference in landings and take offs? I fly only in Australia with Orbx's FTX and eventually in the Pacific Northwest when they release it. I can't afford to get the whole FR package so I thought the Standard would be best - but I'm not sure if I'd miss not having tundra tires with the bush package. Do you have any thoughts about that?Thanks in advance.I also use the FTX Go software and find it useful.Howard

I haven't spent that much time with the tundra-tire models but ran a few tests last night with the 180hp and 210hp models. I'd flown 8050C with the smaller tundra tires in the past. The models are fun and handle on the ground a bit differently, but the tires don't make as huge a difference as the ones on the A2A Cub do - tire friction and bounce isn't modeled in as much detail. The bigger difference in the bush models has to do with the powerplants and the added weight if you load up. The STOL capabilities are also greater, though in the extreme models that's offset a bit by the added power.I haven't yet tried the standard models "off road," but will look at that, too. My sense right now is that you could have a pretty satisfying experience with the standard models and they'd be OK for the occasional field or beach landing - all right for most purposes, unless you regularly fly into hardcore bush terrain. But I'll check this out a little more.Sorry if these observations are still a bit superficial. I've recently broken one of my rules and loaded myself up with a bunch of new aircraft at once - in addition to the Super Cub, there's the Sibwings Bird Dog (really great) and the Lotussim Albatross (never thought I could manage a jet but I'm surviving). I'm also trying to come up to speed in the A2A P-47. It's a good way to stay flexible but not a good way to learn in depth.Current impression of the Super Cub - it takes some getting used to. Needs much more aggressive handling and trimming than any of the others - probably a result of big wings, high power, light weight. Fun, but still a handful.More to follow...Alan

OK, you inspired me to take the 150 hp standard model out of Montauk for a beach landing. It got in and out OK - but the ride on the ground was much harder than in the bush models, and there were a couple of points where I was afraid I was going to drop a wingtip into the sand. Also has a longer landing loat than the bush models, and takes longer to get off the ground as well. Bottom line is that you could use it as an off-road vehicle but it's happier on runways or grass. So I guess it comes down to how much bush (vs. field) flying you're planning to do.Again, hope this helps.Alan

Again, hope this helps.Alan

Thanks Alan - yup helps a lot. I really appreciate your comments and the time you've taken to respond. I've grown to love the A2A Cub in all aspects except speed and climb so It's hard to make a choice about the Super Cub. I'll give it some more thought and then spend some more money on my favorite hobby. Have a good one. Howard

I hate to complicate things for you, but if you feel that way about the A2A Cub, you should also have a look at the Sibwings Bird Dog. Really well done in a lot of detail, and the atmosphere is tremendous. Their approach to modeling is similar to A2A's - just a few aircraft done in really high fidelity. Realism isn't at the Accusim level but it's pretty close, with engine damage modeling done through the sim. It's yet a different kind of beast - heavier and powerful than the Cub, and heavier and less a STOL aircraft than the Super Cubs. Not really a bush plane - it wants some power and 70mph on final, as I found out the hard way, but if you three-point it you can get it into some tight spaces. A tough choice, but it's nice to have so many good back-country singles available all of a sudden.Best,Alan

Hi Alan - decision finally made - got the FR Classic Bush package last night and have had a ball landing wherever I want in FTX. I've flown the Super Cub for a few hours yesterday and really like it so far. Definitley many differences between it and A2A but each are good in their own fashion. I bought just the Classic package as I find in many cases when I get a large collection of the same aircraft I end up only using only one or two of them. I may look at the Carendo (spelling?) Cessna 185 in the future. For now the Super Cub will keep me busy for while. Can't wait for PNW - imagine the possibilities for bush flying there!Thanks again for all of your postings and reviews etc. - Very helpful in determining which package to buy.Have a good one - see you in PNW. Howard