I’ve been doing a lot more low-and-slow flying in MSFS than in FSX so I’d like some recommendations for mid-sized props, anything that’s good for commuter flights, air taxi, sightseeing, small air freight, that kind of thing. So, not as small as the Skyhawk, not as large as the Twotter, anything in between is fine.
What I have:
the Twin Otter (pretty much at the upper end of the size range)
the Kodiak
the Trislander
What I’d like:
glass cockpit, or at least a good modern navigation system with decent screen size
short landing and takeoff runs
well-behaved autopilot (looking at you, most stock planes!)
pleasant to hand-fly
reasonably fast
I don’t need a float or ski option, and I’ll take both turboprops and pistons. I’m mostly interested in singles because I already have a twin with the Twotter and want to “round out” the collection, but that’s not a 100% required.
Those smaller airplanes are something I know very little about, so I’m not even sure what generally are my options in this area and any input is welcome.
Beech 18 from Carenado
Beech 17 from Carenado
PC-6 from Milviz (yes it’s much better than Asobo’s)
Grumman Goose from Big Radials
Velocity XL from Black Square
When you say “glass cockpit and a good modern navigation”, it’s hard to recommend anything other than the NXi, so you’re making it hard. But regardless:
Carenado PC-12: Hard not to recommend. It works fine on my system, i have no FPS loss. Not slow just like you want, yet can nail low’n’slow beautifully with the right power settings and has great visibility.
Milviz PC-6 fits right in. This might be the one for you.
I was going to recommend the WB-Sim C172 mod, but then you want something “reasonably fast” and “bigger than a skyhawk”.
As glass cockpits go, it doesn’t get much better than the Kodiak which you already have. But if you’re open to steam gauges (such as on the Beech 18), then the Flysimware Cessna 414 and Milviz Cessna 310 are definitely worth a look.
Flysimware’s 414aw is top notch and can use the default garmin 530 or the pms 750 or the tds 750. Its on the pricier side but is very well liked. There is another thread of Your Current top 5 planes and month after month it takes the top spot.
Also the Beech twin 18 is another favorite of mine. Its cheap at $15 and it uses the 530 stock but with JDs mod from flightsim.to can use the pms 750 system in the 530 frame.
I would think that the C414AW would be a must have for you. It ticks all of your boxes including being very pleasant to hand fly, a bit if a rarity in this sim these days.
I find myself naturally just looking at the GTN-750 screen anyway so i rarely use the EX-600. It will turn ON with Avionics, so turn it off and see if you notice frames improvements.
Would be interested to know the result too. But low fps would be a problem
In the same boat looking for this kind of plane. The King Air just has too bad visibility for me.
