What are you flying around PNW and the other NA areas?

[MrMaestro 0]

Can anyone recommend a slow-but-not-too-slow single engine aeroplane for flying IFR? I don't have a plane in my hangar that meets all those requirements. I love the A2A Cub, but it's very slow. Ant's P92 has the right performance but it doesn't have all the right gauges. I'm not a fan of Carenado planes as I reckon they lack depth and polish. I also don't want a performance model like a Lancair - as I said, slow-but-not-too-slow.

 

It's a pity there isn't an Accu-sim Skyhawk or Cherokee, that would be perfect.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[Naki@NZFF 0]

With Carenado aircraft out of the equation it does limit things.

 

The Milviz Baron and and 310 are very good but probably not too low or slow for you.

 

The Baytower RV-7 is very nice (my preferred GA aircraft nowadays) but not fully IFR equiped IIRC - in saying that you may want to check what it is equiped with as I'm mainly a VFR flyer.

 

The only other solution I think of is the Flight 1 Cessna 182 which has a glass cockpit (you need a good PC as the glass has a FPS hit) or their newish FSX Cessna Cardinal. I dont have either of these but the feedback I have read seems pretty good. You might want to also check out their Skycatcher (not sure whether its IFR equipped) and the Lionheart Creations range of GA aircraft.

[quadraspleen 7]

Agree with Matthew; the 185 Bush with big, fat tundra tyres is great for getting in and out of those "awkward" strips...I find myself flying teh Epic LT from Lionheart a lot. It isn't slow and it isn't nearly as good as the offerings from Carenado and RealAir. I don't have the MilViz B55 yet, but it's on my list!

 

Flew the LT from CYPK to the new KJAC last night, and weaving through those mountains is just breathtaking!

 

jake

[woodhick 504]

One airplane is all you need as long as you don't want to fly much above 10000 ft. Britten-Norman BN2. Perfect for low and (very) slow. Get in and out of any airfield you want, including those wonderful USFA remote airstrips.

[tttocs 301]

I'm not a fan of Carenado planes as I reckon they lack depth and polish.

 

Carenado seems to generate more love/hate than anyone else on the market. Love mine, but then all of them are recent efforts and all but one features Bernt Stolle FDEs. No, they're not perfect, but I've yet to find a "perfect" GA plane, not even the RealAirs good as they are. See my and other comments about the 337 - still my favorite plane. Not a single, but with its centerline engines it's the next best thing and a great IFR practice platform; not too fast, not too slow. Add in a RealityXP 530 and you get LPV approaches to boot.

 

Scott

[rototom 198]

I've been flying the Milviz Baron 55 around ORBX New Zealand and loving it! I've also done the first three missions from the included mission pack (separate download) which is essentially training on the aircraft with multi engine operations and emergency procedures. The last mission is a checkride; expecting you to perform the manoeuvres within FAA practical test standards. I find the aircraft performs very well and fly by numbers is very good. Excellent support as well, and the braking and rudder issues have been addressed.

[lateagain 45]

Can anyone recommend a slow-but-not-too-slow single engine aeroplane for flying IFR? I don't have a plane in my hangar that meets all those requirements. I love the A2A Cub, but it's very slow. Ant's P92 has the right performance but it doesn't have all the right gauges. I'm not a fan of Carenado planes as I reckon they lack depth and polish. I also don't want a performance model like a Lancair - as I said, slow-but-not-too-slow.

 

It's a pity there isn't an Accu-sim Skyhawk or Cherokee, that would be perfect.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

Hi Mike,

 

Things have changed a lot since my real flying days because the technology and price of "glass" panels has improved and come down respectively. However many of the older single engined aircraft are still operating with the analogue cockpits they were built with 30-40 years ago. Certainly here in the UK an autopilot was rarer than hen’s teeth in a single! It depends by what you call "meets all the requirements"?

 

Here in the UK we had an intermediate (unique) license rating that was an IMC rating. I'm going back a few years btw. Europe's changed all our ratings nowadays. The idea was that PPL holders could learn instrument flying, procedures, holds and ILS approaches without having to do the massive amount of hours to get a full Instrument rating. The idea was that as our weather is very changeable and sometimes very quickly, it would prepare PPL holders to cope if the weather closed in on them. Even the basic UK PPL had some instrument "under the hood" training, but without any IR privileges on your license.

 

The trainers I learnt in were a Socata Rallye GT150, soloing in it the week before our worst ever storm in Southern England flipped it over and wrote it off. I completed my Training in a Slingsby T67C which was a brilliant piece of kit. Shame no one’s made the three variants of that for FSX. Both of these were fitted with radio nav aids.

 

Having done the majority of my real flying in a C172 I’d say that even the Default one in FSX has enough equipment to fly IFR. In fact it has an autopilot and even a semi-glass cockpit version. I think it’s pretty good and still often use it for exploring scenery. It flies pretty realistically by the numbers for “normal” flight. There are better flight models out there but I've yet to find a great model AND great flight modelling for the C172. Mind you you won't be doing any spins in IFR?!!!!

 

The Carenado version has the much older avionics of another C172 I flew in occasionally and I never did any instrument training in that. It also had one of the early Monochrome GPS units in it which most of us never used It's pretty good but not one of my "top" choices.

 

Don’t forget that although the ORBX regions have a good amount of ADF and VOR beacons few of the ORBX fields and strips will have ILS’s

 

Geoff

 

PS since I started this Dan posted the link to the Islander. Now that IS a brilliant model and it's perfect for our region. Greta short field and load carrying performance. Full IFR kit, a well behaved twin and not too fast.

 

PPS Just noticed this http://www.realairsimulations.com/list_box.php?page=coming

[MrMaestro 0]

Thanks for the tips, guys. Geoff, as far as IFR, I basically just want a VOR display with CDI, and ILS display. I know I'm being picky but I don't like having an EFIS in a light plane either. I'll take a look at the Islander and Skymaster (even though it's a Carenado plane I've seen a lot of screenshots of it and it sure does look good), and maybe the Milviz B55 too. I would prefer a single engine aircraft, but it's slim pickings and beggars can't be choosers.

 

I had a quick look at the Flight1 Cardinal and Skycatcher, but the Skycatcher doesn't seem to get much praise in reviews, and I couldn't find any for the Cardinal.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[tttocs 301]

I'll take a look at the Islander and Skymaster (even though it's a Carenado plane I've seen a lot of screenshots of it and it sure does look good), and maybe the Milviz B55 too.

 

Mike, if you decide to try the 337, be sure and check out some of the discussions in the support forum. Bert Pieke has an updated set of bitmaps to fix the Collins radio problem (both are labeled Collins Com, rather than one being Nav). The 337 flies more like a complex single than the average light twin due to the centerline thrust, so you can fly it more like a single at least in the sense that you don't need to worry about assymetrical thrust issues. The B55 is a more typical light twin.

 

I had a quick look at the Flight1 Cardinal and Skycatcher, but the Skycatcher doesn't seem to get much praise in reviews, and I couldn't find any for the Cardinal.

 

There was a fairly lengthy discussion in the main FSX forum a while back on the Cardinal, so you might search there a bit. Most seemed to like it as I recall, and since it's a Flight1 plane there 's no risk in giving it a try. I was tempted, as I have a fair bit of 177 time, but I was kinda put off that Flight1 didn't model at least the general shape and design of the unique Cardinal panel, which is part of the plane's charm. Their's is modernized and models a complete panel remake, rather than the classic with updated avionics. Still it does seem closer to what you're wanting.

 

Good luck,

 

Scott

[Naki@NZFF 0]

Another one which I forgot to mention is the Aerosoft Diamond Katana which has its own version of Accusim

[Ponk 51]

The Aerosoft Katana is fantastic, very close to the real thing (I have some hrs in it). I must say, I tried the C90 again after I patched it up, and all I can say it's it's very dissapointing, I just can't get into it. Hard to say exactly why, it's something I have with a a few Carrenado aircraft (I love the 337). I find the VC is a bit cheap looking, the sounds are not very well blended together, on landing, the elevator is far too sensitive feeling. The BN2 Islander is also fun to fly, a fairly large aircraft that can get in and out of very small strips, with a cool shaking cockpit effect too!

[SpiritFlyer 987]

Everything seems to have slipped away in favour of the Real Air Lancair.

 

Kind regards,

[lateagain 45]

Everything seems to have slipped away in favour of the Real Air Lancair.

....er not quite for me Stephen :nea: in fact spurred on by so much enthusiasm for the 185 I had another look at it.

 

The reviews I saw of it previously made the base model look WAY too clean for my idea of a bush plane and with so many Cessna "Trikes" why else would you buy a taildragger? Anyway I'd always thought the "Bush Versions" were "add-ons" so the base model plus the bush model was too rich for me. Then I actually read the blurb on the Bush Versions ....and realised it's a complete standalone :Doh:

Chipped paint in the screenshots too, float AND amphibian and ski's if you like 'em ......well the CC was going to take another hit wasn't it? :LMAO:

 

Nice throaty sound too! Only grouse is the common one of the stupidly (unecessarily) small mouse click points to change any of Carrenado's instruments. So many folk have grumbled about that you'd have thought they could have patched them all now? At least made an optional patch for the lot? Using Track IR I find I have to call up 2D versions to change anything? ...which kind of defeats the whole object of a working 3D/VC cockpit doesn't it?

 

Geoff

 

PS I've read a lot of good reviews of the new "Plastic" (actually Glass as in Glass Fibre) GA Aircraft but being an "old pilot" I like to have my "basic six" analogue dials. I know a few do have them but glass cockpits don't "do it for me" at all.

[lateagain 45]

Well I just got a "heads up" on this http://www.alabeo.com/index.php?accion=products ...top of the list a C188.

Maybe not just a NA plus but definitely an ORBX scenery area plus? Crop dusting by air was at best rare in the UK and then probably done by 1st generation helicopters. We're not that big and spraying where necessary could be achieved much more economically by tractors suitably equipped. However a few years ago the BBC produced one of the best flying documentaries ever IMHO. It was about a bunch of Ag pilots flying their aircraft down to Africa to fulfil a contract and the problems they encountered.

 

There are many Combat Flight Sims out there and FSX ain’t one of them. However if you want flying “on the edge” then Crop Spraying has to be the next best thing?

 

Of course this e-mail is just a sales pitch for now. I buy little until it’s been reviewed. Their Pitts got a good review, although Aerobatics in the Sim seem to lack the essence of that activity to me? ..whatever you do in the Sim doesn’t rearrange your internal organs!!!!! However a good flight model of any Ag aircraft has to be an interesting challenge? The reviews will decide?

 

Geoff

[CoolP 283]

Did you see Alan's report on the plane, Geoff? Looks pretty good to me, I have that one on my list. Find some pics and videos here. http://forum.avsim.net/topic/377489-air-tractor/

 

Anyone tried the free Mitchell Wing from Aerosoft by the way? Makes a great and fun thing around PNW for sure. http://forum.avsim.net/topic/377757-mitchell-wing-earn-your-wings/