Low and slow - Best aircraft for VFR sightseeing?

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So for your key 3 requirements, low, slow, easy to fly there’s some of the above I wouldn’t recommend.

I wouldn’t recommend the mini 500, it fails on easy. I find it weathervanes strongly even in light winds which makes it really hard for hovering low at near ground level, say if you want to check out the fine details in buildings.

I’d rule out all helis apart from the KA-10M because none are easy to fly unless you turn assists on. The KA-10M is different because it has counter rotating main rotors, it is very stable and easy to fly. It can land anywhere, it floats on water, you can water ski with it effectively, same for snow.

For looking at cities and structures or wildlife the KA-10M is hands down my top pick, it’s completely open with amazing view, and very well priced.

I wouldn’t recommend the Top Rudder Solo either. Great view but frustratingly slow and doesn’t have any nav, not even a compass. Also it’s low speed handling is not docile, once it stalls it’s usually fatal, I’ve lost count how many times that thing has killed me.

For flying around slowly, but not too slowly, with a great view, some nav, the ability to land nearly anywhere, and most importantly docile handling when you’re too busy looking outside instead of at your ASI, my picks are the 710 STOL or the P42 Kitfox. Both are fantastic. The Kitfox has the full glass with autopilot (which I’ve almost never used) whereas the 710 has steam gauges and a nav unit but no autopilot. Kitfox is a tail dragging and the 710 is tricycle, both are easy to trim out for hands free flying.

The 710 wins right now because it’s on sale for two bucks, it also comes with float and ski versions.

The Kitfox is best if you want to navigate, has some of the best liveries in game, if you buy the full package it comes with some nice scenery. But most important of all, if you’re doing a long bush trip it comes with a tent for you to sleep in overnight. I find this so much more comfortable than sleeping in the upright seats!

Edited to remove incorrect claim that the 710 STOL had autopilot.

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She wants you… :wink:

Even today I feel like the Optica is some of our teams best work. I choose it all the time when I want to enjoy a nice scenic flight with proper navigation and autopilot options. Also, it has a GTN 750 or 750XI Replacement Mod if people like using PMS50 or TDS.

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Zenith STOL for me. Game over.

Personal opinion but for me nothing beats it for sight seeing, mainly due to the side doors views. That’s not mentioning that you can literally land it ANYWHERE.

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for me it would be this https://www.antsairplanes.com/msfsdrifter.html
simMarket: DRIFTER ULTRALIGHT MSFS
Ants drifter Ultralight, it is slow tons of visibility and there is a demo, i will be using this as part of a safari trip soon can fly low and slow to see the animals , simple to fly and even has an autopilot if needed

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Optica…

Any chance of adding the Sky4Sim as a tablet to her? Yeah it’s going to cover a few % of that awesome free view out, but hey :wink:

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There is only 1 great sightseeing “plane” for MSFS, and thats the hotair balloon from HPG.
nothing beats the view, flightdynamics and control for relaxed tours.
1 big disadvantage: it is so relaxing, you might fall asleep while flying.

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The Flysimware Cessna 414 Chancellor. Or the Tecnam 2006 might also be good, but there are only a few YouTube reviews so far.

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Hahah yeah. I actually did once. Thing is when I woke up, I still hadn’t travelled all that far :rofl:

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I stumbled on this thread and reading all the suggestions in the end I went for the GF Optica. I am impressed how good she is to fly and what a view! Ty for the great addon. :heart_eyes:

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Yeah this Sting S4 is a really great product. Top drawer stuff.

But I feel like this is probably the 8th time I’ve felt compelled to mention in this context the Stream by LightSim. Appreciate it’s not a cheap aircraft for a “simple” one but I love it. Really good view out as it’s such a narrow (single seat width, centrally seated position) like a little Formula Ford race car :slight_smile:

It’s like a trainer for a trainer for a trainer, lol.
Stream > PC-21 > Hawk > Big boy jet

(I’m sure someone could fit a few more in this chain too hehehe)

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well it is not actually a plane is it :grin:

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Many great suggestions! The great thing is that there are a lot of planes that work well for VFR sightseeing, so it might just be an option to go by the type of plane you have an emotional connection with.

To add a few thoughts:

If you are running VR:

  • I wouldn’t discount the Ant’s Tiger Moth. Forward visibility is indeed not great, but in VR you can lean out of the cockpit and will get splendid views in all other directions. So you only need to wait until you’re passing the POI and you’ll see it perfectly. Plus, the Moth is really an absolute charm to fly.
  • Any other open-cockpit plane fits the bill for the same reason.
  • All of the ultralights work well, see below.

If you are not running VR:

  • In this case I’m afraid my beloved Tiger Moth is not a good option.
  • The various ultralights would fit very well. I have the Asobo Top Rudder Solo 103 (Marketplace) and the Ant’s Drifter (most places where you can get MSFS addons. I got mine via Justflight.) Both have extremely good visibility. The 103 has perfect visibility downward but a tad less good forward or to the side whilst banking. The Drifter has superb visibility in all directions except straight down.

To an extent I agree that helicopters aren’t perfect. But the Mini-500 is actually very easy to handle whilst having some forward speed. It only gets tricky in a hover (which is fun to learn to master though!)

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hows that for a view

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I bought the GF Optica specifically for low and slow sightseeing. It’s awesome.

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I did consider helicopters.

My understanding about helicopters in general, (and based on comments by friends in particular who fly them), forces me to believe that flying a helicopter is like sitting on a small tea-cup saucer, atop a two meter long stick, carefully balanced on a basketball.
:pray:  :man_facepalming:

Fixed wing aircraft, (along with my crummy controls), are already enough of a challenge for me.  Helicopters?  Fuggeddaboutit!!
:wink:

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The smaller ones are not really like that. For $5 the HAT is worth a shot for you I think. You don’t need to use pedals (anti-torque / rudder) all the time. Just for rotation when you want to turn on the spot and in same way as regular turns in fixed wing (i.e not critical).

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Topic question is “aircraft”, i guess that will fit the discription of the balloon :wink:

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Yeah that’s about right for regular helis. Without VR and physical movement feedback, ie. just flying on a flat screen with limited view, it’s even harder than that. :grin: It does make sightseeing an adrenaline sport though so I love it! But I still choose fixed wing for relaxing sightseeing.

In the spirit of ignoring the original question, the Cirrus Vision Jet owns the fast sightseeing category. ie. the kind where you are flying over expansive scenery, mountains, desserts, coastlines, islands, or if you want to end up some distance away from where you started.

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yes i know but you called the balloon a plane i was just being silly hence the grinny thing … where’s the rolls eyes one

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You’re just sharp! Good catch :roll_eyes: lol

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