Your Current TOP 10 Aircraft

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4709

I think we have a serious case of agreement on this! (But not the Wilma comment. 53 years of marriage and the fun never stops!) I was flying the non-modded C52 today in Northern Virginia in live weather (which was very accurate, BTW) and decided to turn on my video recorder as I approached Dulles International (KIAD) for a landing.

All I can say is, whew! Certainly not my best touchdown, even with the turbulence disappearing on cue at the edge of the runway. But other than some collapsed landing gear and a sore back, no serious harm done. The point of the video is to show the accuracy of the live weather with turbulence (20mph gusts) set to ā€œrealisticā€. No pilot in their right mind would have been out flying in a C152, today!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A4Qar1tXmAjFdrnLgJwYlagWMYnRpFfI/view?usp=sharing

I donā€™t think most people bought that version. But I was sorely tempted to buy it just to get the steam-version of the C172. But that is now OBE anyway and frankly, I am now a devotee of the G1000.

1 Like
4710

I see your tail-heavy Bonanza on Lundy Island!
That is another one of the best-kept secret fun airfields for those of us looking for a little peace and solitude. I love that place! You donā€™t happen to have an add-on recommendation for the airfield, do you?

There is a really, really cool ā€œliveā€ video on YT by a Devoneer flying his RL antique Aeronca to Lundy.
To a Yank this is truly jolly-good sport! :joy:
Lundy Flight - YouTube

1 Like
4711

The Cabri is really great and free too! Iā€™ve put 10s of hours into it and donā€™t consider myself good enough yet that if the sim was real life Iā€™d be prepared to actually get in it.

I bought the Mini 500 and itā€™s really nice but it has a flaw that has sent me back to the Cabri and means at least at the moment I regret buying it. The problem is one of serious weathervaning, even in light winds. At just 8kt of wind the anti-torque pedals arenā€™t even needed to take off, hover, and land facing the wind, which doesnā€™t feel right at all. The problem though is if it gets any windier then trying to hover or move when not pointing to windward is neigh on impossible.

Many claim how easy it is to fly, all I can assume is that they launch into the air and immediately fly off forwards, if you do this the weathervaning means it tracks really easily, not much pedal needed. Also with wind turned off it handles great. I donā€™t do either of these things though, I fly in live weather, and at airports Iā€™ll try and taxi in the air to a suitable takeoff location or runway, and this is near impossible with the mini, especially when flying downwind. I also like to hover around cities checking out landmarks and again that doesnā€™t feel realistic at all.

4712

It sounds like you accidently reproduced the tragic and sadly fatal incident involving N3394V near KPSN in 2021.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

A total loss of engine power due to the flight crew incorrectly placing the fuel selector between fuel tank detents, which resulted in fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a placard on the fuel selector, the lack of obvious fuel tank detents in the fuel selector, and the flight crewā€™s lack of understanding of proper fuel selector operation.

4713

Thanks for that, very useful information. Iā€™ll be staying in the Cabri until some of the helicopter issues are sorted out.

4714

Thanks everyone for the helicopter comments above, without those Iā€™d have probably rushed in to buying something too difficult to fly (for a mere novice), tried fruitlessly for a while and then given up with helicopters all together.
Definitely the Cabri now for a while. May emulate my brother and plug in the Quest to make it a little more interesting.

4715

Yeah Lundy! I am using this:

2 Likes
4716

The March 2023 Charts Update

Itā€™s time to show the results of the month - thanks to everyone that participated again this time around.
ā€”ā€”

:globe_with_meridians: ==== ALL-TIME TOP 25 ==== :globe_with_meridians:

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image878Ɨ1834 187 KB

ā€”ā€”

:bar_chart: ==== THIS MONTHS TOP 25 ==== :bar_chart:

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image974Ɨ1790 226 KB

ā€”ā€”

:card_file_box: ==== COMPLETE CHARTS PDF PACK ==== :card_file_box:

Want to see more awesome aircraft?

You can download the entire Charts Pack as a PDF here. This file includes the main All-Time Chart and a page for every month listing all votes, so you can see aircraft that fall outside of the Top 25 above.

:link: Download the PDF here:

ā€”-

:speech_balloon: ====== MY SUMMARY ====== :speech_balloon:

14 new entries this month, bringing total aircraft in the charts (including those that now have zero votes) to 220.

Developer Aircraft
SimWorks Studio Vans RV-10
Cowan Sim Airbus H125
Black Square Beechcraft Baron B58 (Steam Gauge Overhaul)
Microsoft / AT Simulations Antonov An-2
Got Friends Lake Skipper
FlightSim Studio Embraer 175
FlightSim Studio Tecnam P2006T MKII
LivToAir Sbach 342 (XA42)
Rara Avis Sims Mignet Pou-du-Ciel HM.14 Flying Flea
Lightsim TL Stream Ultralight
Black Square Beechcraft Bonanza A36 (Steam Gauge Overhaul)
Microsoft / iniBuilds Antonov An-225 Mriya
Microsoft / Orbx de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
Asobo Pipistrel Virus SW 121

So a couple of the newest releases have made a strong showing in the month, with the Bonanza A36 being a clear favourite here. Itā€™s got into all-time position 44, with the Caribou in 77th spot as the next best new entry.

The Kodiak, C152 and Beaver climbing compared to last month with the 414 only dropping below due to the new rule that the Beaver is newer and both has same voted (18). However itā€™s impressive that the 414 has been in the list for a year now and still taking a hold.

Sad to see my Willy dropping a bit already (in real life too) as well as the Tiger Moth but the Spitfire remains strong - that, the DC-6, the 414 and the Kodiak have all been in the list over a year now and still remain consistently voted for.

Looks like Black Square are really carving out an audience for themselves with their approach - the Caravan (which was their first analogue upgrade release) has suddenly also climbed a lot since last month and had the biggest difference this month (+20 compared to February), now in 26th spot on the all-time chart just outside the snapshot here. Grab the full PDF to see more info!

P.S. It looks like even though I am using the SAME filename for the PDF, the download counter on the forum post DOES get reset with every re-upload which is a shame :frowning:
Actually the one in post 1 seems to stay intact so not sure how itā€™s linked behind the scenes.

If you spot any mistakes, let me know :wink:

Thanks again guys and gals (do we have any girls here?!) - see you in the chat soon! :heart:

15 Likes
4717

Thank you!

1 Like
4718

** The King Air 350 should probably be listed in the turboprop category.

I want to say that try as I may, I just donā€™t understand the consistent popularity of the Kodiak. I want so much to like it (reading its reviews and sensing that I am way out of the mainstream), but in all conscience I just canā€™t warm up to its consistently stiff-arming me with such twitchy flight characteristics. Any idea what I am missing?

1 Like
4719

For me itā€™s the same. Iā€™ve had it for a long time but only took it out for three flights - two of which I cut short since I just wasnā€™t feeling it. No idea what we are missing. But I suspect thereā€™s always the matter of whether the heart joins in on the fun. For me, sadly, thatā€™s not the case for the Kodiak. As for the flight model, as usual I have no idea about its realism, but it doesnā€™t feel good to me. Particularly, whatever the plane does, doesnā€™t feel like a natural consequence of the control inputs Iā€™m making. But never having flown an aircraft I have no way of knowing how close it is to reality.

2 Likes
4720

The simple answer is it is not like that for everyone.

1 Like
4721

Thatā€™s gotta be it! Should have thought of thatā€¦

1 Like
4722

April is finally here, it took 3 months for March to go, what a long month.
A lot has changed in my ranking so here we go again:

#1: Microsoft/AT Simulations Antonov An-2
This is #1 because I really had low expectations about the flight model being right, and yet the plane is almost impossible to stall, responds very well and simulation is quite complete.

#2: Flybywire A320NX
This descends one spot as punishment for not releasing the A380, I will keep doing this as a form of extorsion.

#3: Asobo Cessna Citation Longitude
Avionics are fantastic and the plane has good range and speed. The most similar thing we have to a Global or Falcon 8x so far.

#4: Asobo Antonov An-225
This would be #1 if only a couple more things were simulated like a weather radar or some extra systems and switches, for a release in such a short time it was incredible what was done but I hope the project is not finished, the plane is fantastic to fly.

#5: Cockspur Cessna Citation Mustang
New entry in the ranls, I must make the disclaimer that this is here only because of the FTsim sound pack, with it and the WT G1000 the plane is really good I like it more than the Hondajet and can work in small airports.

#6: Flysimware Cessna 414 Chancellor
Classic GA plane that keeps getting better.

#7: BlackSquare Analog King Air
Very close with the 414 for the title of general go-anywhere plane.

#8: Aerosoft Bombardier CRJ
They are very busy with the A330 but from time to time some small updates to the CRJ would be good, I hope they donā€™t forget about this plane.

#9: FlightFX Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet G2
A lovely mini jet, not fast, not very reaching in terms of range but when it works it is very nice to fly.

#10: FSReborn Sting S4
This little plane needs to be in the ranking as my favorite small GA plane that you can use for personal travel and to relocate to different places.

May is next, will the ATR make it to the top 10?

3 Likes
4723

I canā€™t speak to the hands-on realism of the Kodiak, but I feel like the flight model seems to be very representative of the real airplane. Iā€™ve seen videos of real-life pilots flying it and it seems even more sensitive and requires more frequent inputs than in the sim. That said, even in the sim, I feel that it is a plane that requires constant input and vigilance as it can get away from you. You also need to always be adjusting the trim if you want to reduce inputs. Basically, it keeps you on your toes and engaged.

On the other hand, itā€™s a very nicely modelled glass cockpit and the autopilot is very capable, so you can basically set and forget if you want to. Given its broad capabilities and the additional amphibious variant, itā€™s a plane that can fit most needs. Despite being slower than I really prefer for long flights, it also has a long range.

I donā€™t get a rush of excitement when flying it (it feels more utilitarian than fun), but I do love its capabilities, feel that the modeling is excellent (textures and functionality), and think that SWS continues to focus on ways of making it better.

2 Likes
4724

Iā€™m currently redoing my PayPal stuff so I can get the md 80 and the incredible fenix a320 so they can be on top of my April and may lists :slight_smile:

1 Like
4725

Pretty much.

There seem to be two issues. One is flying style. if you firewall the throttle on take off and expect to rotate like an airliner for example you will be in for a surprise. Gentle easy and smooth is the way to go. The other is hardware related. It really suits longer throw yokes not notchy joysticks, though they did patch it to reduce that issue a bit at one point.

Which means it does not suit everyone.

1 Like
4726

I thought it was a bit of a strange decision to have it designed around long throw yokes but not mention that initially. Anyway, as you say, they patched it and it works fine, on my controller setup at least.

I found the videos by Alpine Bravo very helpful; if you havenā€™t tuned the sensitivity, that would be a good start (apologies if youā€™ve tried all this and it still didnā€™t work for you).

2 Likes
4727

Ever so slightly off-topic, grantedā€¦

For those who like the more Sim as-if ā€˜IRLā€™ aspects of this grand old pastime, Iā€™m interested in this upcoming series.
Always fancied myself buying these Pooleyā€™s books, but feel itā€™s a hard sell/justify to the missus - so weā€™ll see if this sways me.

2 Likes
4728

Actually, I did crank the sensitivities way back, to the point unfortunately where it made some of my other more mundane aircraft difficult to change their pitch and bank. The bulk of the Kodiakā€™s features just donā€™t seem to justify a custom control profile for me. I am not complaining or criticizing. I must concede that the majority of the folks in this forum are just significantly better pilots/simmers than I. :grinning:

1 Like