A final reminder that it is UPDATE TIME tomorrow, so get your votes in if you have not already. Thanks!
And my June Update:
| Pos | Aircraft | Developer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comanche 250 | A2A Simulations |
| 2 | Wilma | Got Friends |
| 3 | Bell 206B JetRanger | FlyInside |
| 4 | Piper J3 Cub | Classic Aircraft Simulations |
| 5 | Piaggio P.149D | AT Simulations |
| 6 | Sting S4 | FSReborn |
| 7 | Nardi FN-333 Riviera | Mario Noriega |
| 8 | Spitfire | Flying Iron |
| 9 | CAC-25 Winjeel | Ant’s Airplanes |
| 10 | Mignet HM.14 Flying Flea | Rara-Avis Sims |
I wasn’t going to change anything this month but just having done a nice group flight bush trip in the CAS J3 Cub, it HAS to go on the list and I can’t see it ever coming off. It’s is truly a special thing for the kind of planes that talk to me!
Removed the BS Velocity XL (already!) to make space for it.
I loved the Cub already before today, but this trip cemented it as one of the very best aircraft available IMO. The flight I just did had a lot of landings off-piste shall we say, places where you should not REALLY be landing, so the ground was not smooth but the ground handing of the Cub is really excellent, giving lots of control and feel over the terrain. It is challenging… very challenging, but with a good approach and inputs it does nothing weird. The way the physics dealt with these extreme situations totally lifted my already high opinion of the plane. Highly satisfying. You can hold it lightly on 1 wheel, while cross controlled slipping it in to help slow down - and feel the grip of that wheel holding you on the surface and not suddenly chucking you to the side as you might expect from other planes doing this! – then turn it with the rudder to straighten up, set the other wheel down and you KNOW what is going on below you at all times. It is on a par with the Comanche in this area I feel. Lord knows how he’s done it but it shows the MSFS engine is capable of these feats. Must admit I modified the brake force a little bit (and I might actually tweak it DOWN a bit now), but it’s lost none of the character by doing so.
What I love about its flight characteristics is that even though you are going slow (70 ish is really where it wants to be at a push unless you are going down hill), it still demands constant attention much like a helicopter. You have to keep hold of it always, and you need to look at the terrain and really have good situational awareness especially with regard to wind as it can have a big effect on your track. All of the little touches the developer has put in are lovely, lots of care and attention… and the fact they are in the process of making it BETTER is exciting too! Bush wheels, and Float version coming soon. Seriously folks this thing is one of the best value products I’ve bought. It should cost more!
Towards the end of the trip, the winds (gusting heavily) made the landings somewhat more ridiculous but there is a point at which I really think this kind of plane should not be taken up, when the wind is 35% of the max speed of the aircraft itself, that is probably a sign to stay in the clubhouse!
EDIT:
LOL… I just went in to do this and seems an update I did via Contrail had reverted it back to the original value, so on the flight I just did I WAS with the original “no brakes” but it felt fine this time… maybe it’s just a case of practice then! I won’t change it again now and see how I get on!