Does anyone have a recommendation for a good bush plane for FSX -- preferably a agile little STOL single engine prop?  I do a lot of my flying in Orbx regions in North America (which is pretty darn ideal for bush flying!), I primarily fly VFR in small GA aircraft, and I don't have all that many payware planes.  But I'd like to put another one in my hangar.  

 

I did some poking around and was a little surprised not to see some of the "classics" like the DHC Beaver, the Maule M7, and the Piper Super Cub out there ... or at least not versions that had been done in recent years or by the bigger, reputable companies whose other planes I really like (Carenado, Aerosoft, Alabeo, A2A).  And I just can't stand the default FSX versions of the Maule or Beaver.

 

Perhaps I'm missing some though.  Any suggestions? Thanks.

My favorites are the Sibwings AN-2 and the Carenado C185.  A2A makes a really good darn near perfect Cub which I adore as well.  The RealAir Scout is reputed to be very good as well and is quite inexpensive.

 

The AN-2 is an amazing bush plane that exudes character.  Bit bigger, but it's pretty much is the king of STOL.  Doesn't really have a stall speed, it just sort of floats downward while remaining fully controllable. ^_^

 

I do wish there were either a top notch Beaver or Turbo Otter (or both) available for FSX...

My favorites are the Sibwings AN-2 and the Carenado C185.  A2A makes a really good darn near perfect Cub which I adore as well.  The RealAir Scout is reputed to be very good as well and is quite inexpensive.

 

Oh jeez, somehow I missed the C185 in Carenado's catalog.  That does look promising, and pretty much fits small-ish plane preference I seem to have.  I've never heard of SibWings; it seems that they don't sell their planes on the usual online sim stores.  How is the An-2 on your frames?  The graphics looks really nice, but I have a less-than-optimal system so always have to be careful about that sorta thing.

 

The Cub might be a little more old / low-fi than I was thinking, but A2A is indeed a great company.  And I'll check out the RealAir plane too.  Thanks for the input!  

My favorite for such kind of tasks is the Cessna C337 from Carenado. It has 2 engines though, but due to the arrangement it feels like one. If bigger and 2 engines, I vote for the lutimative STOL-plane, the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander made by Virtavia. You won´t get better STOL-capabilities than this. Only real downside is the slow cuise speed of about 110 - 120 Kts. 

I think you ought to try the vfr-French bushie...After one short hop and this is my goto

short hop bush..Im currently touring Norway and Mexico in this plane..a lot of fun..

 

http://frenchvfr.free.fr/

 

                                                        Rick

Here's my personal favorites (in order of "favoriteness"):

 

Single-Engine:

1 - Real Air Scout/Decathalon/Citabria

2 - Flight Replicas Super Cub Classic Bushplanes

3 - Carenado C185F Skywagon Bush (though out the cockpit visibility isn't great)

 

(I haven't tried the A2A J3 but I'm sure it's excellent... just a little sloooow... and expensive)

 

Twin-Engine:

1 - Virtavia/Flight1 BN-2 Islander

2 - Aerosoft Twin Otter Extended

 

You really can't go wrong with any of these.

 

M.D.

+1 for the RealAir Scout  B)

You might want to check out Lionheart's Quest Kodiak as well. 

RealAir Scout is my default aircraft and probably the most flown plane in my hangar.  Wish I had the gelt for a real one. (sigh...)

 

Aerosoft Twin Otter Extended for charter bush work.

Any of these suggestions will not do you wrong.

 

 

 

I've never heard of SibWings; it seems that they don't sell their planes on the usual online sim stores. How is the An-2 on your frames? The graphics looks really nice, but I have a less-than-optimal system so always have to be careful about that sorta thing.

 

I've had no noticeable performance impact from the AN-2.  I would also say that it is really the ultimate STOL bush plane... here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

 

 

The An-2 indeed has no stall speed quoted in the operating handbook. Pilots of the An-2 say one can fly the aircraft in full control at 30 mph (as a contrast, a modern Cessna four-seater light aircraft has a stall speed of around 50 mph). This slow stall speed makes it possible for the aircraft to fly backwards (if the aircraft is pointed into a headwind of, say, 35 mph (56 km/h), it will travel backwards at 5 mph (8.0 km/h) whilst under full control). (This is also possible with almost any other true Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft, but the Antonov has the distinction of being able to do the trick in the mildest headwind.)

Real Air Scout is my favorite. It's always alot of fun, its realistic dynamics have consequences, and it's equipped for IFR. Nothing else like it for FSX bush flying, and I've looked quite a bit.

If you have X plane than the beaver / twin otter and 185

Aerosoft Beaver X, Bush Hawk and even the Quest Kodiak are great single engine. I love the Twin Otter Extended as well for this area if you decide to try multi engine.

My vote goes for the Real Air Scout/Decathalon/Citabria. In the real world of bush flying in my area (Vancouver Island); this plane is more common than the Beaver for wheeled aircraft (with or without tundra tires). The Beaver gets the nod for float operations, however.

The Beaver gets the nod for float operations, however.

 

I'll say.  I just spent a week in Victoria.  Was quite nice watching the Turbo Otters and Beavers taking off and landing in the harbour.   Did a hour long tour myself in a Turbo Otter; I actually got to sit in the right seat on the flight which was a hell of a lot of fun, and made for some awesome photos!