Your Current TOP 10 Aircraft

Update complete! Man it’s hard to whittle down to just 10, so most of that is literally based on chronology and frequency mostly. That, and Wilga speaks to me and tells me what to do.

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My apologies Baracus. I thought I’d seen a few posts where you encouraged changes to lists even if they were within the same month. Yes, that’s my final list for January and I will from now on only submit a maximum of one per month.

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Here is my Top Ten for this month, and also the first update to my favourites in a while (though not much has changed).

First of all, below you can see what the Hobbs/Hours tool says, keeping in mind though that I got a new PC about a year ago and all the hours logged prior to that are not included in these stats due to the reinstall (I’m about to hit the 400-hours mark in the in-sim/cloud logbook). The FBW A320, WT CJ4 and the Mooney would all have quite a few more hours still, although nowhere near the Islander’s real total.

001 0073:08 = BN2 Islander [BlackBox Simulation]
002 0037:03 = Airbus A320 Neo (A32NX) [Asobo / FlyByWire]
003 0033:24 = BAe 146 [Just Flight]
004 0028:54 = Airbus A320-200 [Fenix Simulations]
005 0009:04 = Cessna Citation CJ4 [Asobo]
006 0006:17 = Piper PA-28R Arrow III/IV (NA and Turbo) [Just Flight]
007 0005:41 = P-38 Lightning [Flying Iron Simulations]
008 0005:25 = Cessna 152 [JPLogistics]
009 0004:57 = Boeing 247D [Wing42]
010 0004:17 = Mooney M20R Ovation [Carenado]
011 0003:08 = Cessna L19 Bird Dog [BlackBox Simulation]
012 0002:01 = EA-7 Edgley Optica [Got Friends]
013 0001:44 = Quest (Daher) Kodiak 100 [SimWorks Studios]
014 0001:12 = BN3 Trislander [BlackBox Simulation]
(Only listing those aircraft here that I have at least an hour in.)

And now for the actual list of 10, ordered pretty much by what my favourites are.

  1. BN2 Islander [BlackBox Simulation]

Always has been, always will be the number one for me, and close to my heart for sentimental reasons. Counting myself super lucky that this was among the first planes to become available in MSFS and that it received such a great update last year to V2. Currently flying it halfway around the world from Perth in Scotland to Perth in WA, and will launch a blog soon that chronicles the 80 legs and projected 160-plus hours of flying time. Will I be sick of it at the end? Highly doubtful (although it is nice to take a break and fly a jet every seventh or eighth leg at the moment for variety). There are many planes in the sim that look better, but very few if any that are more enjoyable to me.

  1. BAe 146 [Just Flight]

Without question the contender for top spot after the Islander. Quality product from an outstanding developer, and so much fun to get right. I hardly ever overspeed anymore now :slight_smile: , after coming to grips with the lack of autothrottle and other modern aids and learning to trust the speed brake. The great manual and its VOR navigation tutorial are also very good, although when the new FMS comes out soon, that will probably be used more. Depending on any discount for 146 owners, I’m likely to get the Avro RJ as well when JF release that. Meanwhile this version now works very nicely with GSX Pro (walk-in passengers boarding through built-in stairs, pallets loading into the cargo variants, Simbrief flight plan loading), after I made some tweaks - you can search for my video of that on YouTube.

  1. Airbus A320-200 [Fenix Simulations]

Seems to have become more stable on my PC lately and gets me adequate FPS even at the large airports and with the GSX Pro functions you’d want for an airliner. Unlike with the BAe146, the main fun here is in the planning and programming and then watching it do what you expect. I’ve recently realised that it is actually the most fun to fly this on only very short sectors of not much more than half an hour in the air, and spend more time at the gates triggering and observing all the animations etc. But the realistic behaviour when it does then get in the air and fly is still awesome. [A shoutout to the FBW A320 is in order here, because I really got all my knowledge for flying the Fenix from this excellent, well-documented and above else free addon, way before the Fenix was even on the horizon.]

  1. P-38 Lightning [Flying Iron Simulations]

Has been my preferred casual (i.e. without flight plan) aircraft for a while, and was also improved yet again in a recent update. Satisfying startup procedure to get right, good handling on the ground (as no tail dragger), yoke rather than stick to match my HC Alpha, and fast! Has become even more fun since I started using Axis&Ohs, although I still need to map a few functions (and might wait with that until I can afford the Behringer Xtouch Mini that I’ve been considering for a while).

  1. Cessna L19 Bird Dog [BlackBox Simulation]

Only recently picked this up when it was about half price in the Marketplace sale at the end of the year (and yeah, I know I’ve been arguing against MP purchases on this forum - but I figured this was not due any further updates from BBS). It is quickly becoming the challenger to the P-38 as the aircraft I just get into at a random location and without a fixed destination, my comments above re tail draggers and flight sticks notwithstanding. The other difference being that in this I can take off from just about anywhere. It flies so nicely and has such good visibility, so I can see why people on here have been touting it as a great option for low-and-slow sightseeing. And if you look out the window the whole time, you won’t even notice the blocky and outdated modelling of the knobs and handles to the side of your head in the cockpit…

  1. Piper PA-28R Arrow III/IV (NA and Turbo) [Just Flight] – (Arrow III / Non-turbo for me)

As I said before, the first product that really made me notice how good MSFS can be in terms of realism. It pretty much matched its IRL role as a trainer GA aircraft during my own first steps in MSFS. I’m waiting for the promised fix to the flight model (and the swappable GPS integration after Working Title’s GNS530 update) from JF, and then will fly it a whole lot more again.

  1. Mooney M20R Ovation [Carenado]

Was my first purchase in the sim, and flew it a lot before moving on to other planes. Has just been updated (finally!) by Carenado though and is once more hugely enjoyable. Took it for a couple of spins this weekend, and I still love the speed brakes in the wings, how fast it can travel, and the in-dash GTN750. Happy that the developer listened and made the fuel pump less noisy, the pilot avatar more varied and the rego number individualised.

  1. Quest (Daher) Kodiak 100 [SimWorks Studios]

Bought the floats version at the much lower price when that came out, and have not really had time to get to grips with the whole turboprop thing. The few times I did get it started OK (after adopting the throttle quadrant settings recommended by Mark from SimHanger on YouTube), it was quite fun to fly. Definitely has potential for more attention from me once the long Islander trip is all wrapped up - and then I may also try out the overhauled Daher TBM.

  1. Cessna Citation CJ4 [Asobo]

Guess we no longer need to mention “with WT mod” now, but that is exactly what I used for a ton of flights early in my MSFS career. It was really the first jet I managed to fly with confidence, thanks in no small part to the great manual WT provided. Looking forward to the “refresh” that will come later this month, although just like with the overhauled GNS530 (when compared to the PMS50 version), it seems that some features may be traded off by WT for improvements in terms of both realism and cosmetics.

  1. Cessna 152 [JPLogistics]

Just to round out the 10, another low-and-slow plane with great realism that I’ve liked a lot. Will probably be edged out for me by the Bird Dog now that I’ve discovered that, but I’m still glad that this project will apparently live on after the great work done by the mod developer has come to a halt. Also loving the very muddy Reims Green livery.

And there you have it. A quick word though on “why no Wilga?”. It was just bad timing that after all the “Marketplace exclusive” talk, the product was then released on the web after all just when I had allocated my budget to some must-have upcoming airports instead (Canberra by Impulse, Solent by Burning Blue, East Midlands by Pyreegue and Hamilton Island by Auscenes - the first two of which I now already have and am liking a lot). When the Bird Dog then also came along with 50% off at $AUS20, I could no longer justify another 50 bucks for a second bush plane. Never say never though… I am liking what I see and hear of the Wilga very much.

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  1. pmgd 737 600

  2. bae 146

  3. milvix 310

  4. kodiak

  5. c414

  6. fbw a320

  7. ini a310

  8. jf arrows

  9. bn2 islander

  10. milviz pc6

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@dubnewt2648
Thanks for the added ones. Buuut, you can’t have 11! So shall I leave off the Chipmunk?

@MEMcM
No problem man. I did write (in post 1) that I encourage voting (or re-voting) every month but not in same month. I only let you off as you wanted to swap in the Wilga! That’s allowed :rofl:

@cdsolo
Nice write-ups, thanks!
So do you use the Yoke with the Bird Dog also? I would highly recommend getting some kind of stick for the planes that use a stick. Then the Willy would make sense too! Can’t imagine flying that or most planes designed to be controlled with a stick with a slow yoke.

Tempted to get that BBD Solent airport too - but I already have FPS issues in that area (Southampton PG + airport + channel vessels + England generally I think), so think I will hold off for now. Their Goodwood is nearby and that was a nightmare on my frames! Really nicely done though.

Everyone - reminder!

Next SUNDAY is the nearest to the end of the month, so I will be publishing the first results “officially” next Sunday! Get your votes in if you haven’t already done so please :slight_smile:

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As an aside, if anyone flies the Cessna 172 (Classic, G1000 Asobo ones, OR the WB Sim Enhancement) you might be interested that a new Payware sound pack has been released.

Thanks to @FutureFlyer828 for posting about it (link below). I got it and it is totally worth it - finally the plane sounds like it’s alive and not a washing machine on spin!

Available on Orbx:

Available on SimMarket:

Available on Threshold Store:

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I finally picked up the PMDG 737 700 yesterday

Hey :wink: You already voted for January (please see my previous comments about this, lol).

I see you have changed these:

  • OUT = Beaver > IN = 737 600
  • OUT = TBM930 > IN = Islander

I will do this for this time, but PLEASE GUYS, ONLY 1 VOTE PER MONTH :smiley:
It takes me so much longer to cross-reference and check everything otherwise. Thanks!

Nice! And, your first impressions?

I’m A bit rusty on the fmc operations but it’s awesome, I’m going to have get a new touch screen monitor so I can read what I’m doing on the fmc without doing camera work by flying with two monitors in the future it’s so nice having aircraft I can fly with my Logitech flight yoke again

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How could you suggest leaving off the Chipmunk!!! Grrr :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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It was last on their list! I can swap it for another if I hear back from them :wink:

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What is the best helicopter now?

Depends what you are after I guess. I am still digging in so don’t really want to give in-depth answer as there are much better pilots on here to do that for you, but just quickly - we have:

  • CowanSim 206: I am really liking this one since the latest update. It flies nice, and is pretty challenging to keep control, but you can “feel” it. Has some issues on the ground which I am sure is a MSFS engine thing, hopefully will improve. You can look past that though coz “just don’t do the things that make it act weird on the ground”. I mean you really have to TRY to make it do that stuff, in normal operation you won’t really encounter it.

  • Fly Inside 206: Also flies very well. I have spent less time in it as was enjoying the Cowan too much but a lot of people say that it’s more realistic than the Cowan one (still not perfect). I want to fly it some more and see for myself - maybe this week. Fact is both are being developed still, so subject to change. This one uses external software for the FM.

  • Cabri G2: I spent a lot of time in it, learning, but felt ready for something less stable. It is really great though and the sounds and overall quality is very high. Maybe a bit too simplified though in it’s flightmodel, and there seems to be too much drag (which makes it more stable). I say it’s perfect for learning though and the size and looks are real nice.

  • Bell 407: No comment - I only flew it for a moment then committed to the Cabri. I heard it has some issues though, and the developer is not known for helicopters, so I think this one is a “toy”.

  • Fly Inside Bell 47G: A real handful, raw, old school. It’s very good if you can handle it! There is arcade and medium difficulty which makes it easy, but not sure if you want that?

  • HPG 145: Very good package, but my system can’t handle it any more. Strange because it used to run fine and the developer says that the newer version is even LIGHTER on resources but that is not what I am seeing. Can’t use it any more sadly but the missions that you can buy (and some stuff is free on fs.to) add a lot. It is a much heavier and more modern approach to helicopters with quite some automation (which you can turn off) so depends what you like!

  • Robinson R44: Good for free - flies pretty nicely and it’s got constant updates. By a very pro team so you can have faith it flies as well as possible within MSFS I suppose.

  • Ka-10M HAT: Fun, but no.

  • Huey UH-1H: I didn’t fly it, so can’t comment on this one.

  • HPG 135: I didn’t fly it, so can’t comment on this one.

…sure I have missed lots!

For me, at the moment, the Cowan. But I still have a big love of the Cabri!

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The yoke-as-stick thing was actually not too bad with the Bird Dog because that plane is so slow. I’ve taken your advice though, and mapped the elevator and aileron axes to my Logitech Extreme joystick that sits to the left of my yoke. Usually it is just there for drone views, slewing, and occasionally getting the A320 in the air before autopilot gets switched on. Oh, and the Z axis is super useful as a nosewheel tiller on the Airbus and the BAe146. Flying the Bird Dog with it now is an improvement, especially in terms of pulling back in order to not get the nose into the ground when I brake while taxiing! I’ve also set the thumb buttons on top for “translate view height” so I can quickly peek over the nose on the ground, and the button under the index finger resets the cockpit view. Here is a photo of my setup BTW - hard to see in the bottom right corner are the dual Logitech quadrants that are great for twins as well as for a “speed brake and four engines” combo on the BAe146. (Excuse the dust - this will all be dismantled, and cleaned, this week before moving it to my new rental so I can actually sim while living in the town where my job is this year.)

As for Solent, yes it does chug quite a bit - tolerable in the Islander but I wouldn’t want to land a fast jet here. It looks great though, and how could I not get it if there are two BN hangars?

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I have a Fulcrum Yoke and an MS FFB2 but to be honest even though the FFB2 is plugged in and only requires enabling in the MSFS setup to switch to it, I rarely bother, maybe if I am doing aerobatics or really want the force feedback. I fly a Sting with a stick IRL and with my yoke in the sim. Still feels pretty right even with the yoke.

Matching your device to the real aircraft is a nice touch sure, but very similar aircraft will often have different controls for no apparent reason other than designer whim.

Why do the Piper Warrior, P38, Staggerwing and Cessna 172 all have yokes and Piper Cubs, Cessna 162 and Diamond Aircraft products such as the DA20, DA40, DA42 etc all have centre sticks ?

The biggest difference between your sim setup and real life is often which hand is on the throttle, this of course can even change in a real aircraft just by swapping seats. In a 172 you fly with the right hand on the throttle from the left seat but the left hand on the throttle from the right seat.

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My January selectiion of favourite aircraft in no particular order:

  1. Asobo Cessna 208b Caravan with FTSiM+ sound mod.

  2. Blacksquare Cessna 208b Caravan with FTSiM+ sound mod : Either of the two Caravans are my goto when I want a relaxed flight, the Blacksquare slightly more involved.

  3. DHC-2 Beaver Amphibious Floatplane : From startup to shutdown, this thing is such fun to fly - just turn your sound way up.

  4. Asobo Diamond DA62 with MG Enterprises mod:

  5. Asobo Beechcraft Baron G58 with MG Enterprises mod: I’m no pilot but both of these Asobo planes feel so much better with this mod.

  6. Beechcraft Bonanza Turbo : An old favourite, easy to fly with VNAV and visual to any airport thanks to G1000.

  7. FFX Vision Jet G2: Fun jet fully computerised.

  8. Asobo TBM930: I’m not into “study level” aircraft so this suits me just fine. Startup and away in minutes, not spending half my available flight time trying to work out why the ***** won’t start.

  9. Flysimware Cessna 414AW Chancellor: Great plane with enough complexity to keep me interested and the sounds from those two Continental 6 cylinder engines are truely superb.

  10. SWS Kodiak 100: This would have to be my most flown add-on aircraft and even though it went through a couple of updates that had me relegating it to the hangar it now feels more stable and less twitchy and I love being able to fly it to any minor airport using visual and VNAV with the G1000.

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1 Vertigo, its fun fun fun….
2 Beech Baron, an easygoing forgiving aircraft.
3 TBM930 „Mugz mod“, sadly an unloved child in an unloved niche (VR)
4 Icon A5; start everywhere, land everywhere, enjoy the views.
5 Robin DR400, very basic
6 Cessna Longitude (we need a gulfstream……)
7 Learfan 2200

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Heared fairly good noises about the FI birds but haven’t tried them personally. The Cowan is… less carttoony than a lot of the others, at least.

Can I ask how you have found using that SanDisk external SSD for content, loading into the Sim? Have you used it a lot to know if it’s performing fine?

There is a good deal today on Amazon for this same drive (2tb, but not the “Pro” one) with 42% off at the moment, wondering if I should just go for it!? :slight_smile:

Cheers!