Recommended checkout location: 1Q5 Gravelly Valley. A scenic dirt/gravel strip. Take off to the southwest and tour the beautiful Lake Pillsbury. You’ll see quite a few leisure boats if you have Bijan’s addon (at least I think they’re where all those boats came from!)
Visually, the PA-11 is on the low-medium end. It looks like a bit like a P3D port (though not an FSX port necessarily.) I’m not saying it is an actual port, but it has some recycled texture work for sure. The biggest crime they committed is using an ugly 2D texture for the prop (really no excuse for that in 2022) and a few other things in the cockpit (though nothing of major consequence, but things that make you ask “why?” such as the primer knob having an ugly 2D texture.) Overall fidelity of the 3D model (poly count) is low to average with some pretty solid 3D modeling of bolts and rivets but some minor but detracting geometry issues. The tires are characterless and bald. Check out the Speedster S7’s tires for an example of how good a tire can look in sim. You definitely know you’re not in a premium payware, but it’s not ugly. Side note: It ships with only 5 liveries, but I’m happy with them and I really only need the yellow and blue factory livery.
A note about animations: I didn’t pull out a magnifying glass, but interior and exterior animations look good with animated tension on the landing gear as well as animated aileron, rudder and toe brake cables. No complaints with animations.
Functionally, the door and window open on the pilot’s (right) side, but there’s no sound attenuation. I don’t mind in this case because there’s really nothing that little window is going to do to quiet the engine much in real life. Not to mention the fact that I’d happily rip the window off and fly with the door down if it was possible (you can just leave both open, but as it doesn’t change the sound, it won’t change your experience and if you have crash detection enabled, I assume it might cause problems.
Sound is stock Asobo, nothing to say there other than “too bad.” Same with their L-4. When other developers have learned how to use Wwise it sounds awfully defeatist to just say “it’s too hard” which is what this developer has stated. At least try to partner with someone who knows how to make Wwise sounds.
In terms of accessories, you don’t expect a lot and you don’t get a lot. 4 pack with a battery switch, an alternator CB and some super basic comms (that seem to be partially broken, as both comm frequencies read -0.0 for me… maybe a mod conflict? This affects their other addon as well.) No lighting of any kind, no landing light as of course this is about as VFR-only as it gets. Nothing else notable is clickable beyond the fuel cutoff, mags and hot air in on the left side, but there’s not a lot to it so you don’t feel like you’re missing out. A premium payware would very likely have something interactive though, and when the GotFriends Wilga releases we’ll see exactly what that means. Some quirks (not bugs, these are accurate AFAIK): The RPM goes counterclockwise and the altimeter measures 1000s of feet only. Maybe worth mentioning the ASI is in MPH.
Most importantly for an aircraft like this, the flight model. Compared to the intentionally (and accurately) insane Speedster Series 7 that released recently from Project Stratosphere, this is on the opposite end of the cub spectrum. Like their last addon, this is very sluggish and, while STOL capable of course, will stall on you pretty happily. It LOVES to stay in ground effect where it’ll happily chug along and gain speed, it’s not sporty on the controls and overall, you have a strong sense of flying something almost dangerously simple. That’s a plus for me and as of yet I don’t feel any reason to knock the flight model. I’ll do a few more patterns before I have a real opinion on it, anyway. Worth noting that once you do have speed and altitude, the aircraft definitely has some energy and pep and doesn’t feel stuck in the mud. It’s easy enough to overspeed her on a too-steep descent and as you’d expect, she’ll float forever down the runway if you don’t bleed enough speed on approach.
Takeoff with calm winds is doable at a hair above 40mph but you’ll want to immediately stick forward and gain speed or you’ll very likely stall if you attempt to climb or turn too quickly. Ideally, rotate at above 50 mph. Landing should also be around 50 mph, with your touchdown near the stall speed of around 40 mph. This feels very believable and matches several real-world videos I’ve watched including this excellent one: PA-11 Cub Special slip to wheel landing - YouTube
I’m sure others with experience in the PA-11 can chime in, but to me this seems to match POH and behave about as I’d expect, which counts for a lot in my book.
It’s possible this is the same flight model of their last addon. Since this is a Marketplace launch (not sure if it’ll be exclusive, after all I bought their last one direct through their website) it might be encrypted so I’m not sure if I can compared the FMs. It wouldn’t be out of the question for them to recycle most of the code as they are similar aircraft, but anecdotally this one feels better. While it won’t climb eagerly without settling into a good speed in ground effect first, it seems to get there faster and stay there a bit more reliably. Overall, this feels like a $10-15 addon. It’s not shovelware quality by any means, if anything it’s Bargain Plus or “I’m pleasantly surprised though not blown away”. At nearly $20, some of the visual and audio corner-cutting is hard to stomach, namely the poor texture work on the prop and the low poly count in some areas that do matter, not to mention the lack of attenuation or custom sounds.
My first impressions: It’s not bad at all, but I’d wait for a sale or a notable update unless you absolutely must have a PA-11. If that’s you though, you’ll enjoy this and might not regret the (arguably reasonable) ticket price. After a second test flight (and amendments to some parts of this first impressions review) I do not regret the purchase, although I do worry that it won’t earn its monthly tie down fee if it isn’t patched to address some of its minor shortcomings.
) Bummer on the prop, but honestly, I don’t notice the prop when I’m flying unless something’s done egregiously wrong.