I've no particular desire to pay $50 to beta test a product for a developer, good grief.  There is a lot not finished with the 'early access' Aerostar, despite A2A intimating that the product just needs some 'final polishing' or whatever.  I don't have it in for A2A, in fact I LOVE the Comanche in FS2024 and consider it the best single G/A aircraft available for either FS2020 or FS2024.  Yet we are expected at present to search through A2A's forums to learn the correct procedures for the Aerostar as no manual is included with this early access version.

 I'm disappointed with A2A this time around and don't understand their logic with the Aerostar product as the Comanche was released completely finished with only very minor issues that are to be expected with a new release.   An A2A employee on their official forum recently thanked a paying customer for releasing a full checklist for the Aerostar (one wasn't included in early access).  Really?  People pay for a product and have to make the effort to do such things on thieir own???  

 

 

Edited July 10, 2025Jul 10 by JillStanton

On 7/4/2025 at 6:09 AM, Stearmandriver said:

Got to sneak in an hour and a half of testing tonight with the Aerostar.

Is... Is the flight model still a work in progress?  I can't find anything that suggests it is.  And I am an unrepentant A2A fan[DontCensorThis]boy, ESPECIALLY their flight modeling, so it's the last thing I expected to raise an eyebrow.  But: 

1.  Left turning tendencies.  There aren't any, near as I can tell?  In a zero wind condition, I was able to line up with the runway and then take off with my feet basically on the floor.

2.  Single engine work.  A dead windmilling engine, with the other engine at 25 squared, produced about 1/2 ball displacement of yaw, and required only the slightest touch of rudder to fully coordinate.  There was maybe a slight difference between the engine being feathered vs windmilling, but it was honestly hard to tell, there was so little rudder required to begin with.

3.  Vmc.  I could not seem to get it to come even close to a Vmc scenario.  CG fully aft, one engine at full power and the other one at idle with a flat prop, and no more than about 1/3 rudder delection was needed to keep the ball centered, even below redline and right into the stall.  Sure, a lot of airplanes will stall before they Vmc and roll over in a lot of circumstances, but I created the worst case scenario and it still seemed to require very little rudder.

I'm trying to remember if I've ever flown an Aerostar and I can't.  So clearly I'm not an authority on this specific airplane.  But those are two IO-540s out there, 290hp a side, and they are not counter-rotating.  Further, the Aerostar is known for having a smallish rudder with commensurately less authority than many other light twins.  And I mean, an anemic old Duchess requires more rudder work single engine, and where's the normal left turning tendencies during takeoff and climb?

General handling feels wonderful, and she's a joy to land.  I feel like panel and instrument textures could be a bit higher res, but I understand some of that IS still WIP, and even if not it's certainly usable.  Night lighting is beautiful, the autopilot is the perfect combination of old and fiddly but very capable when you learn its quirks, and instrument performance during a raw data ILS is as wonderful as the Comanche.  The tablet is superb.  The cabin is very nice.  And I mean, it's an Aerostar... A cool plane! 

But has anyone else noticed that she seems too docile in terms of directional stability in these scenarios??  Or something weird with my setup maybe?

Yes, I've noticed the same things.  For instance, I can lower full flaps on approach and there is practically no change in pitch attitude whatsoever.  Rudder is simply not need to coordinate turns for whatever reason.  This can't possibly be correct.  

1 hour ago, JillStanton said:

Yes, I've noticed the same things.  For instance, I can lower full flaps on approach and there is practically no change in pitch attitude whatsoever.  Rudder is simply not need to coordinate turns for whatever reason.  This can't possibly be correct.  

Based on StearmanDrivers feedback, they validated the flaw and issued an update.

IIRC, you need to download a fresh copy to get it.

7 hours ago, JillStanton said:

Yet we are expected at present to search through A2A's forums to learn the correct procedures for the Aerostar as no manual is included with this early access version.

All the checklists and data are in the custom EFB.

I'm fine with early access.  I choose to not join in, because that's not for me, but it is a great option for those who want to jump in early and be part of the process.  People having a choice is the best option.  

I think there's this thing where people kind of ignore beta/early access.  The same thing goes for beta sim updates.  People choose to beta test, then complain when something gets released that's not ready.  The latest beta just "becomes" the current version.  People seem to forget that even a later beta is still beta.  

If you don't like early access, just wait for launch?  Whether early access exists or not is irrelevant.  I'll be there lined up day 1 to buy this when it releases fully.  Early access tends to make even better launch products.

I don't mean this to sound mean, but people need to own their own decisions.    

I think the term 'Early Access' has overtones of something less than Alpha. What I see is a product that is missing stuff that on any other developers aircraft wouldn't even be there! You know the things I mean, 'The whirlygig gauge is 1/2 degree out' kind of thing.

Here endeth my 2c 

On 7/9/2025 at 6:42 PM, JillStanton said:

Yes, I've noticed the same things.  For instance, I can lower full flaps on approach and there is practically no change in pitch attitude whatsoever.  Rudder is simply not need to coordinate turns for whatever reason.  This can't possibly be correct.  

As Urgent said, the rudder / directional stability issue has been identified and fixed.  It sounds like it was a tail that was defined as multiple times too large.  So directional stability was extreme (meaning less need for rudder in the first place), and rudder effectiveness was also extreme at even small deflections.  It flies really beautifully now though.  I do see expected pitch changes with flap deflection (remember it's a mid-wing design so they're going to be less significant than on a high or low wing.)

All checklists are in the tablet.  Truly, it's a very complete aircraft and I expect to get a LOT of use out of it even as is.  The minor polishing still to come will be a kind of bonus, but it's not as if anything important is missing or hobbled.  Highly recommended in present state.

Is anyone else having issues with the sim thinking you’ve crashed the aircraft just after rotation?

It’s happened to me a handful of times now. Someone on the a2a forums said it had to do with the window being opened? Im either blind, or there isn’t a window to even open. I’ve never opened a window intentionally

I just picked it up last night, but after five separate take offs, I never encountered that issue. 

Did you put gas in it

2 hours ago, FakeWayne said:

Is anyone else having issues with the sim thinking you’ve crashed the aircraft just after rotation?

YES!

I have had this happen multiple times at different airports. But I cannot figure out why? I will do the same take off right after and I get in the air. Honestly, I have stopped flying it because it is 50/50 I get off the ground.

And, yes, the plane is properly fueled and configured each time. I tis a sim-detected crash

Edited July 11, 2025Jul 11 by Cognita

1 minute ago, Cognita said:

YES!

I have had this happen multiple times at different airports. But I cannot figure out why? I will do the same take off right after and I get in the air. Honestly, I have stopped flying it because it is 50/50 I get off the ground.

Someone in the msfs forums suggested turning off "aircraft stress" damage and seeing if that solves the issue.  I'm going to give it a shot later tonight when I have some time sim.  

I know I'm absolutely NOT overstressing the aircraft in anyway...but it's worth a shot to try.

9 minutes ago, FakeWayne said:

I know I'm absolutely NOT overstressing the aircraft in anyway...but it's worth a shot to try.

Yea, after work I will look and see if I have those setting on, but I usually shut them off but maybe there was an infamous setting reset server side and they are changed. I also am definitely not overstressing. It reminds me of that issue where if the window was open when you took off it would trigger an immediate crash.

I've never seen that in the A2A, but I had it in the CAS J-3 Cub, the first plane I tried in 2024.  The solution was as it always is: turn off all crash and damage detection in the sim.  In this case it would seem to be conflicting with the custom physics of these airplanes, but just in general, it's nothing but a nuisance.  Let's face it: you know if you crashed.  No need for the program to be able to tell you...

Yes, I suspect the issue is crash damage. I always turn this off because it is unrealistic and annoying but it must have been turned back on after one of my reinstalls. I have it off now so will see if this stops.