Hello everyone,

 

I would like to know what the best/ most realistic bi-planes that are out there for P3D V4 are.  I have been having a blast in the Golden Age Simulations Stearman but I feel as if it is a bit too easy or whatnot to fly and am looking to find something else.  I don't care about how old/ slow/ difficult it is.  I just want something quality.  Any responses welcome and appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Andrew

Since biplanes are seldom systems heavy, I can highly recommend the Alabeo Staggerwing and Waco. Very nice graphics and very good FDEs.

 

The best and most detailed biplane for P3D is without doubt the Aerosoft Antonov AN-2 Annushka. It's fantastic - a must have for any P3D user. Very realistic engine modeling (among the best you'll find in any P3D aeroplane, it rivals A2A's Accusim stuff, having stuff such as the ability to drain sludge from the sump in order to avoid locking the cylinders prior to starting it), it has a very good flight model and great cockpit detail with tons of unusual systems to play about with. Great engine sounds too. One of the really fun things about it, before you even get it in the air, is that like the real aeroplane, you need an air reservoir to be full in order to have the pneumatic brakes work, so you have to rev the engine to do that, otherwise you might find yourself with no brakes. You have to make sure you keep the engine temps good too, otherwise the engine will seize, so it's one of those aeroplanes that requires you to look after it and really watch the gauges.

The real aeroplane is probably one of the biggest aircraft you could fly with a basic PPL, since it only weighs 7,300lbs and is therefore under the MTOW limit of such a licence, yet it is a very large aeroplane for a single engined type and can seat 12 people. It's slow, but you won't care about that, because it is great fun. Theoretically it has no stall speed either, if you pull the stick back and chop the throttle or even cut the engine completely, the leading edge slats pop out at 40 mph. Keep the stick back and it will slow to about 25 mph and descend at about the same rate as a parachute descent, and since it has a really tough landing gear, it will land just fine when you do (you can do that in this sim version). There aren't many aeroplanes which could manage that and certainly not many with such a large cargo/passenger capacity. It's not surprising that over 18,000 of them were built, it's an amazing aeroplane and Aerosoft's sim version of it is a very faithful representation of the real thing, it is without doubt one of the best add-on aeroplanes you can get for P3D.

If you prefer an absolutely awesome high speed aerobatic biplane, you could do a lot worse than to check out the Aeroplane Heaven Grumman F3F-2. Capable of over 260 mph, with a good roll and pitch rate, as well as the ability to handle a lot of G (the real thing apparently managed to pull almost 14G on a few occasions), it's great for aerobatics. Looks cool too. Similarly, the Aeroplane Heaven Bristol Bulldog MK2A is another fun biplane. It has a fairly challenging flight model but it is fun to throw about. It has some nice authentic touches too, including an unusual starting procedure and animated valve lifters on the engine cylinder heads.

Theoretically not for P3D, although I do have it installed in P3D V4 no problem, is Just Flight's RAF SE5a. The SE5a is a good contender for the title of best fighter of WW1, although some might argue the Fokker DVII could challenge for that crown since it too was an excellent fighter, nevertheless, JF's SE5a is a very authentic rendition of the real aeroplane; one which has been described as 'the Spitfire of WW1' and which also gained the nickname of 'the ace maker', for obvious reasons.

If I had to say go for just one of these though, it'd be the AN-2 every time. If you aren't impressed by how good that thing is, I'd be very surprised, and it's a great aeroplane to use in programs such as Air Hauler too incidentally.

 

Edited September 23, 20187 yr by Chock