Looking For Aircraft Recommendations

Discussion Hub Aircraft
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While I wait for 2024 to release, I am looking for excellent quality aircraft for VR.

Not really bothered about the fast jets as I have a hanger full of those in DCS and not interested in airliners and 8 hour flights. Typically my DCS missions cover around 600 or so miles at cruise and last a couple of hours.
Of course, having the heatblur F14 on DCS might tempt me to get it over here…

But my rationale and driving force for buying 2024 was the real world photorealistic scenery and I like to kick back and watch the scenery drift by.

So my likely type aircraft would be C172 / PA28, probably up to King Air or Beech Baron territory. Helis are not ruled out. I do have a collective for heli flying and I love my Huey.

Essentials.
Excellent cockpit textures in VR.
On point flight model. I am not looking for arcade quality flight. I want to feel the wind under my wings.
Well modelled aircraft systems and a clickable cockpit.

Coming from DCS, I am well used to buying all my terrains and aircraft, so high quality third party add ons are not ruled out. I go for realism over price every time.

Edit. For further consideration,I should add that my rig either meets or exceeds the ideal spec in every department. So do not be afraid to suggest the power hogs.

Thanks for reading.
Mark.

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2

A2A Comanche. Best GA prop in msfs. The JF Pipers are nice as well. Just not as nice

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3

Vans RV-8 or 14. The 8 is particularly good for sightseeing with that big bubble canopy.

Or the T6-A from Milviz.

You are going to get lots of different recommendations here :wink:

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The Comanche is solid and a must buy. Perhaps the best plane in sim. It is good in VR.

The Top Rudder Ultralight is a steal and worth picking up for simple VR sightseeing.

The Wilga (Wilma in here) is a brilliant bush plane.

The Taog’s Hangar Huey is quite solid.

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Apparently the Sting S4, Ants Tiger Moth and CAS Cub are all great in VR

I do not use VR

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FSR500 from FSReborn is solid.

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A2A Comanche, Milviz C310r, Black Sqare TBM 850, Just Flight Pipers are nice too

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The JU-52 comes with 4 variants, vintage, floats, skis and modern retrofit. IMHO, this is a true work of art of the same quality as the Heatblur F4E.
Azurpoly’s C160 is remarkable. Try doing some circuits in that for awhile.

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Thanks for the input guys. You have given me much to research.

The A2A Commanche is looking very promising. I like the fact that it has not been upgraded to a glass cockpit. And that if you sit in it with doors closed, figuring out what is what for a good time; the windows steam up. Stuff like that appeals to me.

Also like the engine will not tolerate mismanagement. Keeps you on your toes…

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I have to agree with everyone else, if you want something to keep you fiddling on your trip, while still being able to view the sights go with the Commanche! its brilliant. Each livery has its own state saving as well.

If you want visibility, Caranado’s Cessna 170B is a fun plane. Very easy to fly, no damage model, but feels good,

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Comanche it is then! It really is very very good. I wish more planes had the feel it does.

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Another vote for the A2A Comanche, pretty much a must have single engine G/A. The Black Square Dukes and the Black Square TBM 850 are also very good and probably the closest to the Comanche in depth.
I do not have the Huey (yet) but understand it is good. The FlyInside B206 is good although I am still not 100% convinced by it.

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Reading through the posts on here and other threads, it appears that A2A and Black Square are regarded as the most solid, correct to the last rivet, third party developers, much like Eagle Dynamics own birds, and Heatblur as a third party dev team are in DCS.

Would I be correct in this assumption?

As an aside, coming from DCS, I have been impressed with the depth of the aircraft I have been looking up. I figured that I would be zipping along, looking at the pretty scenery while scratching my backside, and finding it all a bit simplistic.
Especially since I have learned that you can turn all those annoying “tooltips” and other “assistants” off completely.
Those had me worried, I thought they were a MSFS “thing”. They have been present on pretty much every MSFS 2020/24 vid I have seen on youtube.

Happy to report that so far I am happy to be proven wrong.

Can’t wait for November.

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Those are the obvious ones, yes.

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Flying irons Spitfire Mk IX is the best plane in the game. There are better equipped and button pushing planes, but as a flyer, speed, versatile, agile plane it is remarkable. You can even 3D print an authentikit.org cockpit for your rig.

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Yep. The Eagle Dynamics MK9 spitty is one of my favourites on DCS. A dream in the air, a witch on the ground… I kick that rudder around like I am dancing a jig on the pedals.

And my landings cost me a fortune in landing fees… And wingtips. Pull that throttle back too soon and you quickly regret it.

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Keep an eye out on the new C24 Sierra from FSW that just released. Another passion project from them.

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There are companies beyond A2A and Black Square who make study level GA planes in MSFS.

The Blackbird Cessna 310 is wonderful.
The SWS Kodiak has long been near the top of my list. It can take off and land anywhere and in style.
The FSR Sting S4 is modern, and slow, views for days.
The PMDG DC-6 is epic.
The SWS Vans RV-8 is part Piper, part stunt plane. Bubble cockpit.

And do not sleep on the Got Friends Wilga. Not quite study level but just a great classic bush plane.

If switching from DCS, the most surprising part of MSFS is low and slow VFR flying in a GA plane with amazing systems depth.

Helicopters are still hit or miss, with a few real gems and a lot of mediocre. I do think you would like the Huey. You already know the bird and the views are so good for MSFS, but it isn’t quite study level.

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Winjeel, Cub J3, Comanche, Sting S4, Wilga, C22 Caproni, DA42, TBM850, Zenith, C414… And that’s just a beginning. Wow there’s A LOT of great planes :rofl:

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I have much to think about.
Of course I am not ignoring the default aircraft and will give those a try, but I guess I will find many of them a bit “wooden”.
Back in FS2002 days, I just used to fly the default planes, then had the opportunity to buy a third party PA28. What a revelation, it was like comparing apples to oranges.

I fully understand that the FS devs have to make some difficult compromises to allow a broad church of PC specs to function well and I mean no disrespect to them.

So far:
The A2A Comanche is a given. As soon as I have acclimated to the sim, that will be my first buy. I will use that for flights from Leeds Bradford and exploring the UK, emulating my flight training days. ( nope did not get my licence, got knocked off a motorcycle at around the 30 hour mark and that was that. I learned just enough to to be able to fly myself to the scene of a serious aviation “incident”. That got me into flight sims back in 97). I digress.

After that I will probably be looking at turbine planes with a bit more speed and range. TBM850/930, Beech King Air ect to see the world a bit.
Is the Quest Kodiak a thing on FS? I would like to try flying around the indonesian islands, trying to emulate Ryan, the missionary bush pilot on youtube.

Helis. Turbines with torque reactive governers only. My collective does not have a twistgrip throttle, so the piston powered ones are out. I doubt I will buy the huey as I have it on DCS. Unless it has a real good cockpit. The Belsimtek huey over on DCS is a very old bird that is in dire need of modern textures inside and out.

Piston powered warbirds. Love them, have the Spit, P51, P47 and mossie over on DCS. All great aircraft, but little point in buying them on msfs when I already have them at study level, armed with weapons. Besides, I really want to avoid getting into comparisons between the two sims.
This is why I will never fly my beloved A10C on MSFS. I have close to 1000 hours on the hog and from what I hear, the MSFS hog is somewhat lacklustre.

I do not want to be “that guy” moaning about poor flight models. So I will avoid duplications.

Thank you all for taking the time to answer.

Edit… I guess some are wondering why I can’t use the Comanche to see the sights around the world. I just reread my post and it even reads a bit odd to me. I guess designing and flying missions in DCS makes a guy very mission focused.

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