Unsung gem rediscovered!

I recently rediscovered the Classics Hangar Messerschmidt bf108 which I purchased when it was in a sale about 5 years ago! I think I had a brief fling with it at the time, without reading the manual, before consigning it to my hangar with the intention of returning to it when I had time to read the manual. However it remained unflown by me until a couple of days ago when I decided to take a look at it again and realised what I had been missing.

This prewar trainer/tourer (the predecessor to the famous Me109 Luftwaffe fighter) has been beautifully modelled by this developer both externally and internally and, although visually it might not be quite up to the standard of Carenado, it is certainly not far off. However it is far ahead of any Carenado aircraft in terms of its systems replication and indeed IMO system wise it is up there with the best GA aircraft available for FSX although it (or its developer) doesn't appear to have received the recognition they deserve. A particular attraction of this aircraft are its many unique and quirky systems. These include: a rather complex engine starting sequence during which you need to pressurize the carburettor by hand; another pump to pump air into the fuel tank to enable the fuel level indicators to function; a rotatory crank referred to as a "coffee grinder" on the panel to adjust propeller pitch (computer keyboard or levers cannot be used for this);  unique VOR indicators requiring two rather unusual dials to display course and distance. In keeping with realism the instruments are calibrated in metric units and most of the panel labels are in German but, never fear, there is a very useful option to overlay the more important instruments (airspeed, altimeter, vertical speed and manifold pressure) in knots, feet and inches and the tool tips are in English.

The aircraft comes with a pretty comprehensive manual which basically is a 'must read' if you are to fly the bf108 and there also is a useful pop up aircraft 'Manager' window. For those who prefer to just jump in and fly a tool is supplied to enable or disable engine and propeller damage scenarios depending on your preference. There is an option to use either 2048 or 4096 textures depending on your setup and a number of liveries are included based on real aircraft. There are two panel variations with some of the aircraft having a VFR and others a so-called "light IFR" panel. The flight dynamics and characteristics appear to have been very well tuned to replicate the quoted performance figures and, although it does require fairly constant attention, this aircraft is a joy to fly and really is a bit of a gem. An added bonus is that it is a very capable STOL aircraft with a take off run of just 600ft undoubtedly helped by the leading edge slats.

At EUR28 it is reasonably priced bearing in mind the quality of the product and IMO it is well worth considering for anyone who wants a classic aircraft that is just a little different.

Bill

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Edited July 18, 20196 yr by scianoir