Microlights and simming

[John_Cillis 2,406]

I took Light Sport lessons between 2006-2008 in Microlight (1320# gross weight) and Trike aircraft, I got fairly proficient in flying from takeoff to landing, turns around a point, S Turns even in 20 knot winds, and VFR navigation but I chose not to continue, I just cannot speak fast enough to handle ATC well.  Even though ATC comms are not required to get a light sport license if you wish to hangar at an uncontrolled airfield.  Maybe one day I will try again.  I am pleased to see more Light Sport aircraft being added for P3D and Xplane.  Vskylabs has created several great Microlights, a set of trikes, and a gyro for Xplane, and I can vouch for all three aircraft types that their flight dynamics are as real as I have ever flown in a sim, good enough for Light Sport or Ultralight practice. 

While I have never flown a gyro I have read pireps on them and know how they should fly, and the Gyro (which I just posted screenshots of) can fly exactly like one, including dead stick autorotation.  I like Xplane better than P3D for Rotorcraft modeling otherwise they score equal.  I made a trike way back when for FS2002 using FSDS2 which is here at Avsim and can be flown quite well in P3D (better in fact than FSX which had a mipmap bug when clouds were behind its prop). 

I found that the MSFS-P3D series can model a slow flying, sub 50 mph trike and its sub 30 mph stall speed just fine using its flight modeling.  And P3D also has the fine Alabeo Piper Sport.  I love jets in both sims, bizjets are my niche, and tprops too.  I like flying the full flight envelope, from the slow speeds into the mach numbers.  But slow speed flight is so fun and relaxing in both sims, when I want hands on, no autopilot flying.

I have bought so many add on aircraft since I started with my new system in 2017 due to member recommendations.  I trust any member who goes out on a limb and suggests an aircraft to try, they make the best reviewers, pilots, plain folk, and the younger members too learning to fly.

John