Yes, a lot of planes, the only way I figured I could fly them all was either alphabetically or a trip through history, I chose the latter - I’m in the year 1919 now with the Nieuport coming up, then the Goliath.
1 Like
That’s correct, inibuilds P-40F and the Aeroplane Heaven P-51D
1 Like
All right, time for my Top 10 for February. Need to get this in before the Got Friends Mini-500 releases tomorrow. I suspect it’ll keep me occupied for a while.
I’ve been trying a lot of freewares and some paywares recently. Entirely possible that others might enter the list down the road. The Brown B-2 is by far the one I fly most so it made this list now already.
The best of the best:
- Ant’s Airplanes Tiger Moth. I’m very happy to see her gain some traction, but the Moth is still very underrated in my opinion. I guess that the appeal is not obvious - the big factor that sets her apart is how she feels to fly. She feels alive and real. But sadly that can only be experienced, which means many virtual pilots are sadly missing out since they aren’t aware of this. It was the same for me in the first month or so after the plane’s arrival. I saw a lot of high praise, but somehow figured it was just people being happy with their latest purchase. Well, I can pretty much guarantee that they were happy, but not just because the Moth was new and shiny. This plane will surely be flown very regularly for a long time to come. Soon it’ll be at a full quarter of my total flying time and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she approaches 50% by summer. (Currently 123 hours in the Hours app and 140 in Hobbs)
- Got Friends Wilma. Not a hidden gem, but rather a well known one. I can’t get enough of this plane. Just returned from a three hour flight using a map without airplane symbol, doing manual navigation by following roads and other recognizable features. That was the first time I did that instead of relying on some GPS to show me the way. What can I say, it felt so much more immersive. I suddenly had something interesting to do for the entire flight. B.A., I think I’ll complete your challenge. I’m at 56 hours (or 60 in Hobbs) and still have more than half the time left before I have to reach a hundred hours.
Other very frequent flyers in my hangar:
- Brown B-2 Racer by sal1800 over at flightsim.to. This is another plane that I’d deem very much underrated. If you haven’t done so yet, give this one a try! It’s free, and it’s a winner! My first impression was that it had an excessive roll rate, but then I figured that my idea of what sort of roll rate to expect was skewed by the Tiger Moth. Already during the second flight it felt perfectly correct. This is a fast-ish, very nimble, very responsive, but utterly controllable little plane with an open cockpit and a vintage flair. And don’t let the “Racer” in the name put you off it. I frequently fly her fast and low, but she is a pleasure just for cruising around as well.
- Red Wings Farman F60 Goliath. A large, lumbering beast from a bygone era. Charming to a T. The opposite of fast and nimble, but utterly lovely for exactly that reason. Nobody in their right mind will call it overpowered, but if you have even the slightest interest in vintage airplanes then this one should be near the top of your wishlist!
- WBSim/JPLogistics Cessna 152. It was great before, now it has become even better. It still has a bug that, well, bugs me, namely that I cannot seem to change frequencies with the radio - the knobs don’t work. Will have to see if there’s some other mod causing this though as I haven’t seen it talked about much. But aside from this it is one of the most comprehensive light GA airplanes out there, and it is completely free. To me the 152 has always been charming as opposed to the 172 which I can’t for the life of me learn to like. Whether you like modern GPS or prefer to go old school, the C152 should not be absent from your hangar. (Except while flying it of course.)
- Big Radials P-40B. Another great plane if you want to get from A to B in a hurry. Provided A and B aren’t far apart. She’s a gas guzzler and her tanks aren’t exactly huge given the consumption. Of the warbirds I’ve tried thus far this one is the one I enjoy the most.
Less consistently flown, but still great:
- Asobo Junkers F13. Another plane from the early days of aviation. It is great fun to fly, looks strange but strangely beautiful, and has an open cockpit which always goes a long way with me. Sadly its modelling isn’t on the level of some of the others here. One particular bug bear of mine is that the compass is moving in the wrong direction. Unless the real life compass has some complicated mechanism that turns it around, I’m pretty sure 170 degrees should be to the right of 180 degrees due to the way these types of compasses work. Or am I mistaken in this? Anyway, compass notwithstanding it is always a fun day out when flying this ancient airliner.
- Blackbird PC-6. A good mod and I enjoy it whenever I take it to the skies. But I shy away from turboprop planes so I don’t take her out as much as she deserves. If you’re looking for a somewhat larger STOL plane with increadible performance, look no further. But only after you’ve flown Wilma first, of course.
- Asobo Top Rudder 103. Last time it was the Ant’s Drifter that made my list. It’s really a toss of a coin between these two. The Drifter is the better model, the Top Rudder looks better to me - sort of like the skeleton of a baby Cub. Whoa, that sounds a bit morbid. But seriously though, consider this plane if you’re in the market for an ultralight that has basically none of the frills but flies nicely and offers stunning views. (Warning: don’t fly this if you’re afraid of heights. There’s nothing below you besides a tiny seat, a few thin metal bars, and a few hundred feet of air.)
- Blackbird DHC-2. Nowadays I fly Wilma instead, but when I have the yoke installed instead of the stick, and I feel like flying a low-tech, high performance plane, the DHC-2 still gets some decent air time.
6 Likes
Not making changes to my list that I posted yesterday. Just adding commentary on the planes, as I appreciate everyone else’s comments.
Fenix A320 - My go to aircraft when I want a challenge. Not during cruise, of course, as everything is so automated, but the whole set up, programming, loading of passengers, fuel, cargo, etc. (especially if I decide to use GSX). On top of that, I truly enjoy the systems modeling, the textures, the sounds and feeling like I am accomplishing something by managing the aircraft through its various phases. Finally, I am still very much learning the right way to feel an approach and landing (who wants to land an ILS approach unless strictly necessary??).
SWS Kodiak - I love everything about this aircraft. The way it handles, the small airfields it can use, the sounds, the systems and I also have the Flotiak, which is really a handful (in a good way) when landing on the water. The engine has great power and the climb rate is great when in mountainous terrain. Still getting accustomed to the trim, as I find it to be too nose down on takeoff.
FSW Cessna 414AW - My first purchase in the GA category. So, it’s the one that I have owned the longest and I find that every system is very well modeled. Very capable, and I do enjoy the mixture of automation and related capabilities with manual flying (the VNAV is advisory only, so you still need to manage that aspect). Powerful plane, good views out of it, flies very predictably and a very engaged developer.
FlightFX HJ420 - Unlike the 414, this one is so easy to fly, so automated, that you feel you can hop in and have a great time. The high altitude and the nearly-airline speed capabilities mean you can fly somewhere quickly as well. The systems have been very well done as well and the developer is one of the best; I feel he is often a step or two ahead of where others are with their aircraft. My only two gripes with the airplane are the views out of the cockpit (I find them somewhat limited) and the size of the aircraft when on the ground - it looks too small. Even with those, this is one of the most fun airplanes to fly and while it can be as deep as the airliners, it can also be a lot simpler because of the automation. Really depends on what I want to do with it and it can accommodate most of the things one may want to do. The developer is close to releasing an update that incorporates the AAU1 changes and those will make the plane even more capable.
HPG H145 - I have owned this for a long time and have always loved how engaged the developer is and the frequency with which he releases changes. I asked him long before SU11 if he was doing a lot of work that would then have to be undone when SU11 came out, but he was still willing to go through the effort. After SU11, they have been working diligently with tons of updates to dial in the systems and flight model. I think this aircraft is really, really sophisticated and the number of options and configurable settings (including having a separate way of creating key bindings for all of its functions) make this a very complete aircraft and one that takes a long time to master. I am far from achieving that! In fact, I only yesterday installed the newest version that adds the post-SU11 flight model. I need to relearn and rebind a ton of things, but I will enjoy the process! I also just got the Cowan 500E yesterday and really, really enjoyed it. I think it might soon displace something else on my list… for the March list.
Got Friends Wilga/Wilma - I really can’t add anything that hasn’t already been said numerous time by @Baracus250 et al. You guys are the ones that convinced me to try it, and I am very happy that I did!
SWS Van’s RV-14 - The thing that captivates me about this plane is the views. Every time I get into it, I have to remind myself that I’m actually in the cockpit rather than outside the plane. I love the views and while I really haven’t take it on a long flight yet, I do like the systems that it has included. I have tried the acrobatic capabilities with it, and I am still learning how to do those well. A work in progress, let’s say.
Darkstar Experimental - This is on my list because it feeds my fantasies of being able to hit high altitudes, high speeds, and to be able to traverse the globe in a relatively short amount of time. I love picking an airport, taking off in the runway direction, climbing to altitude (130,000 or so seem to be the most fuel efficient, but there’s something about climbing all the way to 275,000) and then letting the plane fly in that direction until I decide to try to find an airport nearby (100nm+) to descend and land at. No telling where that will be and that’s what I love about it.
B78X Heavy Division Mod - Heavy Division have done a great job in making the stock plane much more flyable. They have created files that tend to step on other developers’ systems, but it seems they are aware of the issue and will eventually correct it. I simply don’t load the mod when I am going to be flying something else. Like with the A320 above, the satisfaction here is in the programming the FMC and managing the flight, but mostly in the accomplishment of reaching a far-flung destination. Heavy Division is working on their own model of the 789, and I am hoping that it will be out in less time than one would normally assume. It would probably do away with many of the remaining idiosyncrasies of the stock aircraft and make it more available to others, as it wouldn’t require the Premium Deluxe version for people to use the mod.
JustFlight WB-Sim 172SP - Going to be honest, this one took me by surprise. I was not expecting to like it as much as I do, but I saw a video of the Boris sounds with it and decided to take the plunge. I am enjoying it tremendously and it feels very “real” to me. I’m sure the soundest has a lot to do with that, and I do appreciate the lower/slower flying that I do with it than with most of the others above. Looking forward to more flights with it.
I may have to undertake a challenge of some kind that will have me using various aircraft in order to achieve the end goal, and give me something to plan for as well as know ahead of time what I am going to do. I find myself often coming into the sim without really having a sense of what I want to do in it and consequently I don’t feel a great sense of accomplishment when I’m done. I have enjoyed it when I read about people doing around the worlds, or continents, etc., so I will probably try to plan something like that.
Sorry for being so long-winded. Happy flying to everyone.
6 Likes
Thanks for the update and descriptions 
We have similar tastes so I guess I should try that Goliath at some point, and the F13!
Not sure about the compass reversed but I’ve seen that in a few other aircraft too (can’t remember which now but it’s definitely a thing), so maybe there are two types of how they work?
I did spend some time with the Brown B-2 and yeah it is a really nicely done one indeed.
Totally good point about the Beaver being a good option for yoke in that type of plane. That’s exactly how and when I use it now also. I have both my controls set up at all times but sometimes really just wanna use my nice yoke - although the problem with the FFB not starting up has randomly cured itself, just I’m in a Honeymoon Honeycomb period I guess!
Just checking, but last time it was BOTH (Solo and Drifter) on your list, right?
Thanks again. Enjoy reading your reasonings
1 Like
Thanks for coming back to add the write-ups! Much appreciated. Do a round the world trip in the WB-Sim
Have you seen the video someone posted a few weeks back?
Yes, you’re right! This was my previous list:
Turns out my list has changed quite a lot this time around. The Arrow, Corsair, and Jabiru fell out of the list for the time being. It’s not because I don’t love them, but I fly them a lot less now - in fact rarely at all due to lack of time. (Relatively speaking.)
Yes I’d agree, we seem to like similar planes! But one question: what is your current Top 10? I’ve tried finding that in this thread, but searching for your posts is like looking for a needle in a stack of needles
Hah yeah I can imagine! Januarys was this. But I expect something Mini will change before month ends!
- Wilga [Got Friends]
- Tiger Moth [Ants]
- Porter PC-6 (analog) [Blackbird / MilViz]
- Discus 2c [Got Friends]
- Cessna 414 [FSW]
- Freedom Fox [//42]
- Spitfire [Flying Iron]
- Ryan ST-A Special [A1R]
- Guimbal Cabri G2 [Asobo]
- Cessna 172 SP Classic [WB Sim]
2 Likes
Haha! That would indeed be interesting. I will go.back and look for said video.
1 Like
Found it!! Everyone NEEDS to see this. It’s truly breathtaking and actually pretty emotional. Best video I’ve ever seen. Probably not restricted to only “best MSFS video” btw!! Yeah, that good! 
4 Likes
Hmm, at some point I’m going to have to give gliders a chance. I love the idea of gliders. It’s just so intimidating since I haven’t the first clue about how to fly them. For now the next project is helicopters, but then I guess I’ll dive in and try the Discus.
Very nice video you posted! I initially intended to do a world tour with the Moth only. But sometimes I get the itch to fly something else, and then would you know there was a guy who challenged me to fly some weird rusty monoplane. Go figure! Maybe for my next world tour I’ll discipline myself. I can always fly something else, but not to progress on the tour. We’ll see. Still a huge chunk of my world tour left. Especially since I’ve decided to basically fly around the outlines of all continents, more or less. Halfway around Australia right now. Next I’ll head over to Kiwi-Wonderland, then up north towards Japan and on to the Americas.
1 Like
You think I have? 
It is amazing!! Beautifully made and just really touched me. I’ve watched it about a dozen times at least and still gets me in the feels every time.
what an idiot he must be! Always ignore idiots on the internet - golden rule!
Luckily, the world isn’t going anywhere
1 Like
Be careful mate, you might trigger the amateur astronomer in me to put you right on that count… 
Yeah, will need to make sure not to listen to weirdos on the internet. They always have an ulterior motive, you know?
Haha good point! I meant in the sim though. We have a snapshot of data from what, 2010-2020 that won’t change even when it’s all on fire or under water in real life. If they can make it that realistic we’re all doomed!
1 Like
Bloody brilliant video! Thanks for posting!
1 Like
Yeah man! Thank the creator for making it!! 
I don’t own the F13, but, yes, it’s typical in the roundy compasses that they act “backwards”. So, as long as it’s correctly showing the direction on the marker, it is correct.
Go to the section on the “Vertical Card Compass”
Yes, but that’s exactly why I think it might be wrong: it is not backwards like the other wiskey compasses or whatever they are called. It’s the “right” way round, which is why it’s the wrong way around.
It took me a while to wrap my head around the backwards compasses, but when I finally did I found that I’d have to unwrap my head again to read the F13 compass 
1 Like
If it helps, we can think of the compass and directional gyro as fairly fixed in space (disregarding compass acceleration/dip errors and DG precession) and the airplane moves around them.
The difference is you’re looking at the horizontally-mounted compass from behind. If we mounted the DG horizontally (some older DGs are mounted this way) and looked at it from the butt-end, it would behave the same way (appear to be moving opposite). To prove this is an illusion of perspective, imagine reading the DG from the bottom lubber line, but marked with the reciprocal headings so it’s technically showing the correct heading at the bottom lubber line. When you make a turn it would appear to be moving opposite the turn because we’re viewing it from the opposite end, but it’s still correct, like the compass.
3 Likes
Yes, that’s a good explanation. Back in the old days I thought that the compasses were wrong when they apparently were “backwards”. But then I paused and thought about it for a little bit and it then became clear that backwards = correct for this type of compass.
I’m fairly used to it now. Even in planes with an HSI I still most commonly look at the magnetic compass as it’s often located closer to my line of sight. And of course my beloved Tiger Moth has one of those horizontal compasses that likewise that a few turns in the mainframe until one learns to read them right.