I’ve been on the fence about this one but you guys are convincing me.  Sounds like a fun touring aircraft and it is available in a Canadian and Irish paint (latter on flightsim.to) which are my favourite touring areas.

I assume there’s a good manual to inform me of the numbers I need to be on so I don’t stall out on final?

I’ve heard this described as a “complex” addon, in what way?  I wouldn’t expect it has complex avionics as a trainer?

Thanks for any info.

3 hours ago, regis9 said:

I’ve been on the fence about this one but you guys are convincing me.  Sounds like a fun touring aircraft and it is available in a Canadian and Irish paint (latter on flightsim.to) which are my favourite touring areas.

I assume there’s a good manual to inform me of the numbers I need to be on so I don’t stall out on final?

I’ve heard this described as a “complex” addon, in what way?  I wouldn’t expect it has complex avionics as a trainer?

Thanks for any info.

One of the things I love about BBS (they'll forever be MilViz to me...) is that they publish their addon User Guides so anyone can get to them. Here's a link to the T-6 page, there's 2 guides: one for the plane (procedures & illustrated examples included), and one for the GPS (it's a custom coded unit like IRL):

https://blackbirdsims.com/flight/PG.php?id=78#:~:text=taxes may apply)-,Downloads,-User Guide

In terms of complexity, probably anyone who can properly operate something like the Black Square Dukes or even the A2A Comanche won't have a problem.

IMHO, it comes down to really having to fly it correctly to get desired performance, so many systems being simulated, as well as extensive failure modeling (configurable to Off, Random, MTBF, etc.), bird strikes, engine fires and such.

The Nav & radio systems are all modeled as well, so you should be able to operate it "by the book" if you can lay hands on the NATOPS POH and CNATRA training procedures (available thru several sources on the interwebs).

Perhaps surprisingly, there are also a TON of IRL operational videos available on YouTube (and other places), all very helpful to demonstrate how the aircraft is operated for training SNAs and such. And I can't lay my hands on it right now, but I have a link somewhere to a complete IRL audio track, with visual animation, of how to properly fly USAF / .mil patterns in the plane. If you fly it according to that procedure, it's a dream. If you try to just fly it like a warbird (like I did the first few times), you won't get good results and / or it'll bite you for the mishandling.

I can only hope they can figure out how to release their Prepar3D T-38C for MSFS - it, too, was made for the IRL USAF/USN .mil training program, is even more sophisticated than this T-6 II and would be a sublime experience in MSFS. 

Thanks for the info!  Sounds like a purchase is coming my way.

There is only one downside I've found after reading the manual.  There is no AP.  Don't think the real one has one - but a basic alt / HDG /Nav/ hold would be nice for long range flights

It's probably the most hands on aircraft I have. It will trim out, more or less but there are still pretty constant readjustments. That's what makes it fun. Autopilot would kill it.  

45 minutes ago, ryanbatc said:

There is only one downside I've found after reading the manual.  There is no AP.  Don't think the real one has one - but a basic alt / HDG /Nav/ hold would be nice for long range flights

Yep - no AP as IRL. So you really need to focus on power and trim (even aileron as torque is modeled). And that can be tough with sim controls (I use the TM Warthog, so even good quality hardware can remain a bit troublesome).

It's a bit like flying a helicopter - any change in one performance parameter requires a balancing change in all the others.

I agree - it'd be great if they'd make a concession to simulation like Just Flight have done in their Hawk.

5 hours ago, regis9 said:

Thanks for the info!  Sounds like a purchase is coming my way.

I flew it last night on the latest v1.5.1 release.

I had trouble getting Nose Wheel Steering to work. It has an on/off button & indicator light, but neither state would produce NWS.

I haven't had that issue before, but this is a brand new computer build, so maybe it's somewhere in there.

As a workaround I just used differential braking & modulated thrust for the ground movements.

Not too bad since I'm used to that from warbirds and such...

I'll ask in the forums to see if anyone else is having the issue, and double check my control bindings.

I've assigned it to 'N' on my keyboard using the Controls page of the tablet. Works fine. 

19 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

can only hope they can figure out how to release their Prepar3D T-38C for MSFS - it, too, was made for the IRL USAF/USN .mil training program, is even more sophisticated than this T-6 II and would be a sublime experience in MSFS. 

I’m still annoyed I didn’t buy that one when it was available as I loved flying the A version. It kept my coordination skills up flying circuits in VR during during that daft lockdown thing we had a couple of years ago when I couldn’t go flying for real.

22 minutes ago, jon b said:

I’m still annoyed I didn’t buy that one when it was available as I loved flying the A version. It kept my coordination skills up flying circuits in VR during during that daft lockdown thing we had a couple of years ago when I couldn’t go flying for real.

Their T-38A model is available free if you still own Prepar3D v5...? 

Handling is pretty much the same (the C-model has slightly uprated engines, IIRC).

https://blackbirdsims.com/flight/freebies.php (pretty much their entire previous Prepar3D catalog is available for free 🙂 )

Edited March 26, 20251 yr by UrgentSiesta

Yes, I still have my P3D installed with the T-38A, I don’t really use it nowadays but can’t bring myself to delete it

33 minutes ago, jon b said:

Yes, I still have my P3D installed with the T-38A, I don’t really use it nowadays but can’t bring myself to delete it

Me, too!

Believe it or not, I get contacted 2-3 times a year by complete strangers asking to buy or "borrow" a copy of my T-38C license & installer!

No way - she's all mine and not for sale, or anything else 😎

5 hours ago, St Mawgan said:

I've assigned it to 'N' on my keyboard using the Controls page of the tablet. Works fine. 

I pretty much got exactly the same advice on their Discord.

Apparently, the NWS button on my TM Warthog USAF replica stick ( similar to the IRL T-6 stick, too) isn't sensed properly by the addon (!). Basically needs to be a toggle and it sees a momentary (or something). Strange thing is that the cockpit indicator light comes on with the button press, so the sim "sees" it. But the addon just won't turn...

I'm going to see if I can find some controls setting somewhere to let me use the proper button. I have so many other add-ons that use that button for NWS I'm not sure I can "unlearn" it.

Thanks for the tip!

10 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

I had trouble getting Nose Wheel Steering to work. It has an on/off button & indicator light, but neither state would produce NWS.

I haven't had that issue before, but this is a brand new computer build, so maybe it's somewhere in there.

As a workaround I just used differential braking & modulated thrust for the ground movements.

Not too bad since I'm used to that from warbirds and such...

I'll ask in the forums to see if anyone else is having the issue, and double check my control bindings.

Well, upon checking the bindings, there were THREE controls that had been auto-bound to the NWS (button #3 on the TM Warthog stick), PLUS the binding assigned in the BBS cockpit tablet!

I went through all the other bindings on all the hardware and there were quite a few double binds, as well as others that just aren't applicable for this aircraft (like mixture & prop, and throttle 2), so I removed those as well.

Loaded the sim back up again and NWS worked as expected. Just a short test flight, but no other problems observed. 🙂

Now my OCD will kick in and I'll have to review all the bindings for all the addons. At least I can prioritize by how much I fly each of them!

Hello there gents, 
I am new to this forum and just downloaded msfs 2024. 

Does anyone here know what the big differences between the bb T6 and the real T6A are? So what I mean by that is, are there some biggies not working yet for training? I once flew the T6 and want to use msfs for some procedure training and to get a little bit back into it. 

 

Thanks in advance.