Pilot Operating Handbooks and Checklist cards now available from our website MANUALS AND CHECKLISTS
a Brand new model for MSFS using our experience of creating this aircraft before in both FSX and P3D … We include both T1 (Mainly UK) and SK61 (Mainly Swedish) Versions with different panel layouts, Optional Garmin Aera “Touchscreen” GPS and 10 Real World Liveries.
Many thanks go to our great Test Team of Chris, Kenneth and Especially Lewis, The Owner and operator of G-ASAL Pictured above …
If I may quote him
“I flew in VR and the cockpit proportions appear to feel accurate. I actually had to pinch myself a few times as the only way I could tell I was in the Sim is that G-ASAL has a non standard instrument panel layout with a G5 in real world!”
She will be available from our store over the weekend of Nov 20 / 21
and then on the Marketplace by Xmas ( We hope )
So if you want to step back to basic training and enjoy some hands on Aerobatics, we hope you have a lot of fun in the Bulldog
Looking forward to this. Did a couple of brief flights in one when I was in Air Cadets back in the 90s. It’ll be nice to fly a simulated plane that I have real life experience with even if it was very limited!
Here is my first Bulldog pre-release photo-feature. This one takes you on a flight from RAF Honington in Bulldog T.1 XX654. This aircraft is on display these days at the RAF Museum. In the series which follows, captions refer to the image beneath them.
This is how a lot of people were introduced to the Bulldog, resplendent in RAF colours as they went for a UAS or AEF flight at an RAF station.
I hope you enjoyed this photo-feature. The Bulldog is getting close to release, but I think I’ll keep these features coming. Next time we’ll look at a few privately-owned Bulldogs on the British registry.
This looks great! As a Yank, I’m not as attuned to the Bulldog as my UK cousins, but (1) fully aerobatic and (2) coming from Blackbox, I’m in! The modeling looks fantastic, and I’ve been so impressed at how well BBS has supported the Cessna and Islander.
Hello there folks, we’re back again for a second photo-feature on the upcoming Scottish Aviation Bulldog. Last time we took a flight with the RAF, and now we’re highlighting four Bulldogs from the British civil registration list. As before, the comments relate to the image below them.
The Bulldog was designed by Beagle aircraft (located at Shoreham), and was based on their earlier GA aircraft, the Beagle Pup. The intention with the Bulldog was to create a replacement for the DH Chipmunk in RAF service, and G-AXEH was the one and only prototype. It took to the skies for the first time on May 19th, 1969, and it is only fitting that we reproduce that flight here…
And we’re up… An iconic British aircraft lifting off from an historic south coast airfield, complete with an instantly-recognizable art deco control tower.
Most of the civil aircraft in this photo-feature are T.1 models and feature the standard T.1 panel. Here’s the view on final approach back into Shoreham on our first flight.
Not long after the Bulldog prototype kissed the sky for the first time, Beagle aircraft folded as a corporation. The production rights were taken over by Scottish Aviation, and everything moved to Prestwick on the south west coast of Scotland. It was here that a new company demonstration aircraft was built, and at one time it was even equipped with MATRA rocket launchers! Today, that aircraft still flies from Prestwick… Here’s a view from the cockpit as it flies near Irvine.
Did anyone guess the identity of the demonstrator? It’s G-ASAL, and these days it is the star of YouTube channel "Alba Skies”. The YouTuber was one of the testers for BlackBox in the creation of this MSFS model.
Below, the RAF registration may show as XX638, but this is actually G-DOGG based out of Popham, England. Built in 1974, it served with the RAF until its retirement in 2001.
And now for something completely different!.. Just look at the classic British aviation heritage in this shot. Trident, VC-10, Hawk, and the Bulldog. But note the extra window frame in the rear window of the Bulldog. This is NOT the T.1, it’s the Sk-61 model, built for the Swedish Air Force. This specific aircraft came back onto the British register in the early 2000’s, and was painted as a tribute to the Red Arrows. It held the registration G-DOGE from 2005 to 2016, and these days is re-registered as G-AZHX.
The Sk-61 model has a re-designed panel layout. There are two sets of primary flight instruments, and the engine gauges are moved to the centre. This would certainly make it easier to fly from either seat.
If you did not guess it already, G-DOGE is at another historic airfield, Duxford. So we’ve taken off and are now climbing out on a display day for a bit of a workout!
And as the launch of the Bulldog gets closer, we conclude our short series of photo-features with a look at the aircraft included in the product that are “international” to the UK. Once more, the captions refer to the image below them.
Even before Beagle Aircraft went out of business at the end of the 1960’s, orders had been received for the Bulldog from the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet), so it fell to Scottish Aviation to fulfill that requirement. The Swedish Bulldog would be known as the Sk-61, and as we saw in the previous photo-feature, the panel had also been redesigned. The aircraft below was delivered to Sweden in January 1972, and it remained in military service until October 2008. It then became SE-FVX, and it is now operated by the Swedish Air Force Heritage Flight.
The Swedish Air Force Bulldogs were mostly finished in an all-over green on top, with grey underneath. (There were also camouflaged examples, and these were used by the Army).
The BlackBox version of SE-FVX has been equipped with the Sk-61 panel finished in grey. Note… These first three shots were taken near Såtenäs Air Base Airport (ESIB), where the museum is located.
When the Bulldog was retired from the Swedish military, a number of the SK-61 aircraft were sold to private owners across Europe. HA-TUV left the service in 2012 and is now based in Hungary.
Here’s another Hungarian resident, and with this beautiful colour scheme it makes a great first impression wherever it goes. In this case I am preparing for a flight across the border from Hungary to Romania.
Some of the Swedish aircraft ended up much further away than central Europe. For those of you who live and fly in the USA, here’s your chance to enjoy sunny California in a Bulldog. Yes, this is an actual US livery, and a search on the net suggests that N4321B was advertised for sale at Livermore, CA (KLVK). It originally arrived in the USA in 2006, and it received this glorious “Union Jack” repaint in 2008. Is it still available?
Notice how the panel of N4321B has “highlight lines” around some of the instrument groups. And no prizes for guessing which west coast city we’re flying towards!
Well, if you didn’t figure it out, this shot should clinch it for you. A Bulldog over the Golden Gate Bridge… I wonder if the original designers at Beagle Aircraft would have ever imagined this?
And as we draw this three-part series to a close, we’ve come full circle. We’re back to a T.1, and at first glance you might think this is an RAF aircraft. Look closer. Those roundels belong to the Armed Forces of Malta’s Air Wing. The Air Wing received four ex-RAF Bulldogs in February 2000, and then a fifth example in July 2001. The serial “AS0020” denotes the following. AS = Air Squadron. 00 = It was delivered in 2000. 20 = It was the 20th aircraft to join the squadron since the new serials replaced civil registrations.
And now, as this Bulldog heads towards the rising sun, it will soon be time for the dawning of your personal experience of the BlackBox Simulation Bulldog in MSFS. Enjoy it!
Thanks for the appreciation of the pictures, and to answer your question, I am not part of BlackBox Simulation. I have spent some time behind the scenes with the Bird Dog, Islander, and Bulldog as each drew closer to release. I did some testing, offered a few suggestions here and there, and have been happy to form a great friendship with Graham. You see, both he and I were among the original pioneers in the third party industry for the FS franchise almost three decades ago. My company (The VIP Group) closed after seven years, but Graham kept going. I admire his tenacity and longevity. I am therefore pleased to support him where I can. - Kenneth
