I put this here wondering if this iconic Stearman might ever be made for MSFS…
Golden Age Simulations had made this plane for previous iterations of flight sim but they have decided not to produce aircraft for this sim, which is unfortunate for those of us who have a soft spot for this era of aviation.
The Ryan STA from A1R was a surprise though, and the Bleriot, maybe less so the Waco from Carenado as that is actually a replica of the modern builds - but maybe another developer will risk extending back into the historical archives and take a chance on an airplane that was born before WWII. Hard to go wrong with anything that has Lloyd Stearman’s name on it.
NOTE: 5 of the 7 that are still flying are on the West Coast of the US
I think DC Designs is working on a stearman… might not be the same model you are hoping for, but it’s in the works. Hopefully released in this month, last beta testing was last weekend, and the maker wants to work out the last bugs before release through Just flight and the ingame marketplace.
Yes the most commonly replicated Stearman type is coming soon and that is definitely good news but there are more than just that one type.
The C3B, the 4DM, the Cloudboy - etc…just from Stearman. But the name has gotten distilled down to one airplane and that’s what I’m talking about here.
Variety
** also this video quality is very good - as is the audio. The history lesson also needs to be told - before email and texting and telephones what we had was these biplanes and their pilots carrying ‘airmail’ - the fastest way at the time to communicate in writing. They also established all of the major air corridors and inspired most of the innovations surrounding IFR flight here in the US and around the world. IT’s a pretty interesting piece delivered in a fairly compact video.
Golden Age Simulations is also bringing vintage aircraft to FS2020. Last I saw it was just one freeware airplane for FS2020 but they are working on others. (Note - apparently NOT working on others. I assumed they were since they had the one…)
The freeware is pretty good on the outside. The interior looks like high res versions of lower res art but still pretty good. And free. It’s a bit slow and underpowered, though - as you would expect. It’s the Golden Age Simulations Kinner B-2 Sportwing and is first on the list under the freeware tab.
Unfortunately this developer has decided to cease working on MSFS aircraft to focus on FSX and P3D.
I was privileged to have been part of the beta testing team for GAS for the past few years and while some folks may have felt that their 3D models were a bit behind the curve, they have always been diligent in making sure the flight modeling was as accurate as possible.
There was some talk of farming out the model making to a degree but in the end there was concern about a loss of authorship or control that could not be reconciled.
This is unfortunate in that this developer was specifically interested in bringing Golden Age vintage aircraft to MSFS regardless of commercial appeal. With them there was greater chance of having aircrafts other than Cessna, Piper, Beech, etc… without them we can only wait and see.
Hard to understand their decision but if commercial sucess is not their main goal, then P3D seems to be the easier option to work on if they are already familiar with the SDK.
But we have already many other 3rd party planes, especially vintage ones, for MSFS besides Cessna, Piper etc. We even have more vintage/classic aircrafts than modern ones.
sorry but only the Bleriot and Ryan are pre-war Golden Age era - the Waco is a reproduction of the modern, updated Waco’s being built today, so it is marginally valid
There are 3 warbirds but those are a separate category - vintage maybe - but not Golden Age specific to the period between 1925 or so until 1939, which is becoming less understood by the minute apparently…
Oh that is sad to hear. I love the old airplanes and have many of their P3D versions. I guess it does make sense depending on resources with planes that I don’t think are as popular in the jet age.
yes - they are less popular but only because they are less familiar today. That brings us back to the video above. Not everyone has a chance to go to airshows or restoration facilities and see these vintage beauties in person, let alone see them flying.
Here in So Cal we have a number of airports where these airshows are conducted and where many vintage aircraft are based and maintained.
That’s why these flight sim versions are important - it gets these beautiful airplanes out into the public sphere where they can be seen and heard…and FLOWN - over and over again.
That is the view of the people behind GAS anyway.
It’s possible they may decide at a later date to revisit MSFS, never say never, and I remain hopeful that another group(s) might step into this niche the way A1R did with their STA-Special. .
It’s quite good… There are a few issues with it that are being fixed, but overall, it’s a bird worth having! And it’s on sale right now for like… $10! Go grab it!
