If you’re familiar with his Tiger Moth or his earlier FSX releases, you’ll know what to expect. The visual model is fantastic with tons of detail, the flight model feels realistic, and it has systems depth to it.
It’s one of few aircraft in the sim, that is capable of snap rolls and spins.
Fully agree, his Tiger Moth is probably the best open cockpit biplane currently available.
I don’t know if it’ll help someone to get a first impression, but I made a video with the Winjeel. It’s really fun to fly. Please ignore the messed up snap rolls. The Winjeel is capable of doing them, but I guess the Knob behind the stick needs a bit more practice
It’ll be interesting to see if he’ll bring his T-28s to MSFS too, they were among my favorites in FSX.
A T-28 would be an instant buy for me. Have no real connection to this one. Although the video looks fun. And the little thing definitely has power for a small trainer. Especially compared to the Chipmunk.
He covered the whole T-28 model range in FSX, A-D. I really hope he’ll bring them back =)
I have to admit the Winjeel isn’t the most attractive design, but I’m a sucker for pretty much anything with a radial engine. And the Winjeel is done to the same high standard as the Tiger Moth and just like the Moth it’s very fairly priced. So I couldn’t resist…and I’m glad I didn’t
I wasn’t interested in biplanes but the level of detail and flight model of the Tiger Moth won me over. This plane, I have no connection to. Never heard of it. I don’t even much like WW2 era trainers. But after the Tiger Moth, I think I will have to grab this too. The walk around feature looks A2A level yet again, and the radial engine is bound to be simulated well.
I only know of the Winjeel due to aviation cards I collect. It wasn’t a super popular aircraft, under a hundred built compared to the CAC Wirraway which they built 755 of. That said, the Wirraway was a Harvard, essentially. I’d be far, far more excited to see a Boomerang. A truly original Australian bird, and quite a looker compared to the Winjeel. I’d also settle for a Wackett. That said, I bought this as I have never been disappointed by Ant’s Airplanes. He has a great attention to detail and while his visuals and sometimes sounds aren’t the best in the business, his addons make up for it with character and love.
Edit: Just retroactively adding that the visuals and sounds are both plenty satisfying in this one!
@kengou1 The Winjeel isn’t very well known, at least outside of Australia. They were used from primary up to advanced training by the RAAF from the mid 50s til mid 70s. Some were also used for target marking (this version is also included) until 1994. Even though only 64 were build, including the prototypes, there are still around 25 of them in flying condition.
I haven’t tested the walk around feature yet, but the visual model certainly comes close to A2As standard. The engine managment also seems to be quite realistic. You get spark plug fouling and you’ll need to check your oil level and more.
@Stardrifter2232 He is! And he always had an interesting selection of aircraft too =) It’s great to see that he’s now releasing a mixture of port overs and new builds. I really hope alongside his Boomerang, he’ll also bring his Buchon, DC-4 and B-24 somewhere down the line. They were fantastic!
A bit of bad timing for me since I’m reserving some cash for holiday sales right now, but this will be a definite purchase. I had his T-28s and look forward to those in MSFS. I hope he will provide the option to use the sim pilots. A Boomerang would be cool too.
After a longer flight, I’m really pleased with my purchase. As I expected, there are so many nice details on this aircraft. The tablet is full of so many useful settings and tools, one of which might be a first for the sim and maybe my favorite touch: With the canopy and windows closed, the engine might sound a bit tame, but no worries! You can mix the external audio in to your exact preference from the tablet. I chose a setting of 20 to get a bit more of the radial bite in the internal view. You can also swap between free castering steering and full control steering by moving the stick either fully forward (free castering) or fully backward (regular.) You can also toggle it with the tail wheel lock binding but being able to do it on the fly is very neat.
I am actually happier with the visuals and sounds than I expected to be from the videos the dev uploaded. I found that with my settings everything looked and sounded good. Up close, this isn’t the highest resolution texture work, but it makes up for it in so many ways. Be sure to read the manual to understand the various features. It’s really a superb addon and another commendable job by Ant’s Airplanes. He makes it clear in the product listing that this is a conversion, but don’t let that alarm you. It doesn’t feel like one. It takes advantage of MSFS fully and even offers some new ideas I hope other developers will take note of.
I only had time for a quick flight, but wow, this is just a beautiful recreation of a not-that-beautiful plane, and the flight modeling is really exciting – definitely can do some aerobatics in this bird.
It’s funny because there’s been a flood of interesting planes released lately, but so far I’d only picked up the Vulcan. The Shorts 330/360, SWS PC-12, IFE F-14, and FSR500 are all on my list, but when you combine (1) Ant’s known quality and fun factor, and (2) an under-$20 price, the Winjeel was a day 1 purchase.
It’s crazy how photorealistic it is in that first shot. Despite not being the highest resolution texture, it is such a convincing looking addon! The warping/dents in the panels really add a lot. I find that more important than high quality textures, really. There’s nothing more boring to me than a perfectly smooth, shiny aircraft (of which we have so, so many in MSFS.)
Ok, where do I start? I took the plunge because it’s Ant’s. Loyal supporter and having flown Tiger Moths IRL love his work. I was not ready for how much I would love this oddball. Just like so many, I was not familiar with this aircraft and agree it looks “different”. Angular canopy, blocky instrument panel, I get it. Then I bought it and it stole my steampunk heart! I love this on so many levels! The extras should make many “big boy” developers feel embarrassed. You can adjust the external sounds?? What!? This benign trainer is oozing character. From visuals to flight characteristics. Ant’s, you have my heartfelt thanks for introducing me to this unique trainer. To anyone sitting on the fence, do it! If you like radial engines and flying low and slow, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. This is a new favourite for me. Pure fun.
