Hi all,

I recently purchased the above product from Simmarket and the experience has been so poor, I felt it necessary to warn others in our community.

I have not provided a link to the product or to Simmarket, so as not to breach any terms of service, here on AVSIM.

I recently bought the "Upside Down Aviation - MXP1000 Tayrona from Simmarket.  The product is listed as early access and cost EUR 19.19  😐

I then found that the product is the lowest imaginable quality, is almost non-functional and contains sounds from BAW (Boris Audio Works) C152 sound pack, that I am led to believe were used without permission.

Imagine the lowest quality freeware modelling and textures - perhaps from someone making their first attempt at creating an addon.   Now imagine something even worse, and that is what is offered with this product.   It is the worst product I have laid eyes on in the 21 years I've been simming.

The systems (bearing in mind it's a simple ultralight) are non-existent and completely messed up.  It's not possible to start the engine unless you use Ctrl+E (and even that only works on intermittand loads).   The aircraft comes with no primary flight instruments.

I then looked at the file structure, to find that a pck file from Boris Audioworks C152 sound pack has been included in the provided commercial download.  There is no reference to sounds being provided by Boris and I don't believe he has permitted his payware product to be used in this shocking addon.

I started to look for "Upside Down Aviation" on YouTube and on the internet.  Their Facebook page links to a YouTube page that does not exist.

Their Facebook page is empty.

In other words, this product is as close to a scam as you will probably find in the hobby.  

So there we are. This is my desperate attempt to warn others about "Upside Down Aviation" and the appalling state of their 'Tayrona' addon.

Thanks.

Edited October 10, 2025Oct 10 by JYW

What a mess.  I honestly avoid simmarket...  had multiple issues there, the site runs very slow for me, and I've had my payments compromised there in the past.  

So, early access does in fact mean something...

While it's understandable to not know about the sounds, and if you can verify they are indeed the Boris sounds that's absolutely worth reporting through formal channels, it is also worth noting that there are a handful of preview images to include one of the cockpit that shows poor quality (user opinions may vary considering we have companies like MSCENERY), and the lack of a feature list should be a red flag too, presuming you're not willing to basically alpha/beta-test the aircraft and follow-along with future updates. 

I'm all for supporting new developers so there's a balance between do you wish to pay $20 to help develop the aircraft, or do you want to treat it as a finished product and provide a poor review which may not be reflective at all of the product 6 months from now. Of course the dev will ideally offer something presentable too, while clearly sharing with potential consumers what works, what doesn't, and what's planned.

I'm also noting a review by a "David" on SM stating the following, so if this isn't you then at least someone else is allowed to review. Perhaps SM cut out the sounds portion until they can investigate as that's a legal violation. 

The modelling and texturing is of the lowest imagineable quality. The systems are almost non-existence (Ctrl+E is needed to start the engine) and the sounds are appalling. The flight dynamics are completely off (the aircraft will not fly higher than 60mph). This is the worst quality product I have spent money on, in 21 years as a customer of Simmarket.

Bottom line: While it's regrettable that you are unhappy with your purchase, and ideally anything being marketed for this much would be a bit further along, it kind of sounds to me like you leaped into it without looking first, and aren't comfortable with the commitment you made to supporting early access (not counting the more serious sounds issues). I also would have looked into the company before purchasing as well. 

Edited October 10, 2025Oct 10 by STK

I agree  with STK, that more investigation should have been done.

It does say 'This is an Early Access release, offering a fully flyable Tayrona with some systems still in development. You can experience the aircraft today and help shape its future as we refine, enhance, and expand it on the way to version 1.0.'

A definite red flag, if you were expecting a fully tested version, & not a beta version.

I do have a thing of actually paying for a beta version, or any version that has not been fully tested &, as stated, basically incomplete - maybe the sound file is just a gap filler, until the aircraft has been enhanced to version 1.0  

Also, I really think that more homework should have been done & maybe a screen shot or two, to check out the aircraft.

Buyers remorse for buying an Early Access/beta aircraft?

I also support new developers, but will not part with money for an early access/beta release & also an aircraft with no reviews nor developer footprint!

4 hours ago, JYW said:

Hi all,

I recently purchased the above product from Simmarket and the experience has been so poor, I felt it necessary to warn others in our community.

I have not provided a link to the product or to Simmarket, so as not to breach any terms of service, here on AVSIM.

I recently bought the "Upside Down Aviation - MXP1000 Tayrona from Simmarket.  The product is listed as early access and cost EUR 19.19  😐

I then found that the product is the lowest imaginable quality, is almost non-functional and contains sounds from BAW (Boris Audio Works) C152 sound pack, that I am led to believe were used without permission.

Imagine the lowest quality freeware modelling and textures - perhaps from someone making their first attempt at creating an addon.   Now imagine something even worse, and that is what is offered with this product.   It is the worst product I have laid eyes on in the 21 years I've been simming.

The systems (bearing in mind it's a simple ultralight) are non-existent and completely messed up.  It's not possible to start the engine unless you use Ctrl+E (and even that only works on intermittand loads).   The aircraft comes with no primary flight instruments.

I then looked at the file structure, to find that a pck file from Boris Audioworks C152 sound pack has been included in the provided commercial download.  There is no reference to sounds being provided by Boris and I don't believe he has permitted his payware product to be used in this shocking addon.

I started to look for "Upside Down Aviation" on YouTube and on the internet.  Their Facebook page links to a YouTube page that does not exist.

Their Facebook page is empty.

In other words, this product is as close to a scam as you will probably find in the hobby.  

So there we are. This is my desperate attempt to warn others about "Upside Down Aviation" and the appalling state of their 'Tayrona' addon.

Thanks.

I assume you already reported this to BAW and let Boris know as well as posting here?

Hi JYW,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to share your thoughts. We’re sorry that your first experience with the beta version of the MXP-1000 Tayrona didn’t reflect where the project is heading, it’s continuously evolving and getting closer to the level of quality we’re aiming for in version 1.0.

About the sound files: the Boris AudioWorks .pck you found was a placeholder from early testing and was never actually referenced by the aircraft itself. It’s already been removed in the latest version. In the meantime, we’ve been in touch directly with the Audiokinetic team to build custom Wwise based sound banks, and we’ve recently joined their new MSFS Modding Program, which is great news for future updates and developments.

Since your purchase, we’ve rolled out Version 0.9.1, which includes several improvements and addresses most of the points you mentioned:

• Fully integrated G3X Touch: no external addons needed.

• Added avionics master switch.

• Fixed the engine start bug: manual startup now works as it should.

• Adopted and balanced Asobo’s sound package for better realism.

• Reworked windshield mesh and materials: no flicker, clearer reflections.

• Updated propeller animation.

• Corrected circuit breaker behavior: normal status now pushed in.

We truly appreciate feedback like yours, that’s exactly what we’re looking for during this Early Access phase to help fine-tune the final release. We’d like to invite you to test the latest version and share your impressions; your feedback would be very valuable to us.

We’d also like to thank everyone who joined the discussion and shared their thoughts. If any of you would like to try the Tayrona and help us shape the next updates, we’d love to hear from you as well. Please feel free to reach out via AVSIM message, and you can also follow our updates on our Facebook page.

Thanks again for your time and for being part of the sim community.

— The Upside Down Aviation Team

6 hours ago, Upside Down Aviation said:

Hi JYW,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to share your thoughts. We’re sorry that your first experience with the beta version of the MXP-1000 Tayrona didn’t reflect where the project is heading, it’s continuously evolving and getting closer to the level of quality we’re aiming for in version 1.0.

About the sound files: the Boris AudioWorks .pck you found was a placeholder from early testing and was never actually referenced by the aircraft itself. It’s already been removed in the latest version. In the meantime, we’ve been in touch directly with the Audiokinetic team to build custom Wwise based sound banks, and we’ve recently joined their new MSFS Modding Program, which is great news for future updates and developments.

Since your purchase, we’ve rolled out Version 0.9.1, which includes several improvements and addresses most of the points you mentioned:

• Fully integrated G3X Touch: no external addons needed.

• Added avionics master switch.

• Fixed the engine start bug: manual startup now works as it should.

• Adopted and balanced Asobo’s sound package for better realism.

• Reworked windshield mesh and materials: no flicker, clearer reflections.

• Updated propeller animation.

• Corrected circuit breaker behavior: normal status now pushed in.

We truly appreciate feedback like yours, that’s exactly what we’re looking for during this Early Access phase to help fine-tune the final release. We’d like to invite you to test the latest version and share your impressions; your feedback would be very valuable to us.

We’d also like to thank everyone who joined the discussion and shared their thoughts. If any of you would like to try the Tayrona and help us shape the next updates, we’d love to hear from you as well. Please feel free to reach out via AVSIM message, and you can also follow our updates on our Facebook page.

Thanks again for your time and for being part of the sim community.

— The Upside Down Aviation Team

Great response mate.  I think sometimes virtual pilots can be quick to jump the gun and publicly name and shame before getting a response from you directly.

A lesson here to be a bit more careful before we dev bash in public.

Jase

1 hour ago, MassiveSim32 said:

A lesson here to be a bit more careful before we dev bash in public.

You don't think finding a payware file - included in a commercial product, without permission - deserved me posting a red flag?

It's a fine line between "dev bashing" and holding dubious practices to account.

If my OP prevented even one other person spending their hard-earned cash on what was an utterly dreadful state for a payware product, it served it's purpose.

 

33 minutes ago, JYW said:

You don't think finding a payware file - included in a commercial product, without permission - deserved me posting a red flag?

It's a fine line between "dev bashing" and holding dubious practices to account.

If my OP prevented even one other person spending their hard-earned cash on what was an utterly dreadful state for a payware product, it served it's purpose.

 

All good mate, just simply saying that before you post up publicly, maybe reach out to the dev.  They came back with a great response after you gave them an uppercut straight off the bat.

But each their own mate.  Just my opinion.

Jase