Never happen, there will always be a Spitfire and maybe a 109 if they fix it.. AAU2 has skittled a few I expect..
Nah, I fully expect every other small aircraft to feel absolutely rubbish.
A2A do have a Spit in their catalogue too, mind you.
Nope, not allowed!! 
1 Like
This could get bad.
Iām very happy with my VKB NXT EVO flight stick and HC Bravo quadrant, but after spending more time with the Kodiak, Mooney, and Archer Iāve realized that Iād really like a yoke for flights longer than 30-40 minutes. I canāt really justify the cost at this point for a handful of planes, but if the Comanche and M500 are as good as I hope, Iām done for.
Stealth purchases of golf and camera gear go unnoticed by She Who Must Be Obeyed, but itās kind of tough to stash a HC Alpha in a golf bag or backpack. The struggle is real.
5 Likes
Get a Wilson dust cover - might delay discovery a bit 
2 Likes
Bookmark featureās neat, it notified me if it was already a month - and a month already passed! This month has some changes and is ranked from top 1 to top 10.
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Vision Jet by FlightFX - They did it. The update to the avionics was superb. Equipping the plane with the full WT G3000 suite gave it full VNAV capability even for climbing through SIDs and the visual approach system allowed for some automation for landings in airports that do not have procedures. Furthermore, the Simbrief functionality made flight planning a breeze, though not having a persistent Navigraph login is a bit of a pain. Logging in through the QR code makes it a lot easier though. Great plane, great model, great avionics. Iām sure this is soon to be beat by the incoming A2A Comanche or the FSReborn M500 but weāll see once those finally drop.
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Duckworks DC-3 by Imenes - I only tried this out recently and my goodness, the hype was real. So many neat improvements to the stock plane, it feels good to hand fly approaches, landings, and departures, and the retrofit systems allow me to still relax and enjoy the planeās sounds and views. Fantastic and Iām so glad I gave it a try.
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JRF-6B Goose by Big Radials - Music to my ears, flies really well, systems work like a charm. Not much more to say other than man, I really love this flying boat.
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Cessna 414AW by Flysimware - I did get some engine hours on this baby and, yup, itās still objectively the best GA plane I have in my hangar. Sounds, systems, visuals, how it feels to fly, all feel so good. Absolute pleasure to fly.
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Cessna Citation Longitude by Asobo/WT - Navigraph plugin functionality really made planning flights for this a smooth experience. One of my FSE go-tos for effortless big bucks. I also recently subscribed to FTSIM on Patreon and got the sound pack, and that transformed my experience. If you wanna fall back in love with the Longitude, get the sound pack!
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Embraer 121 Xingu by BRSimDesigns - This is gonna be a rising star, much like Flysimwareās 414AW. Following ReichartBās tireless work on this plane has converted my interest into a purchase, and itās turned out to be a fantastic smaller turbo twin experience. If his work to refine it continues this will surely be the top turbo twin to exist in this sim.
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Spartan 7W Executive by HCG Digital Arts - Itās not a perfect plane and I donāt like the panel, but the model is lovely and it got me, a chronic autopilot addict, to do a few fully hand flown thirty-minute flights in the couple weeks I got it. I donāt know if the flight model is realistic or whatever, but I really enjoyed the feeling of flying it by hand, and the sounds they licensed from Big Radials make for a great fit. Lovely plane.
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PZL Wilga by GotFriends - Great bush flyer: neat design, great sounds, amazing flying feel, lots of possibilities for modern avionics if you so wish for them. I still do a couple monthly bush flights and itās been a blast every single time.
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Tecnam P2006T by FSS - Fantastic VFR flyer and amazing features paired with a very nice looking model make for a great flying experience. That said, thereās just so much competition and so many planes to try to fit to this list, and I still think itās a bit too pricey for whatās on the table.
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TBM 930 by Asobo/WT - I recently had some FSE engine hours on the TBM 930 after learning it got improvements in AAU1. I love the avionics for many of the same reasons as I love the Vision Jetās, and I gotta say itās a dang good plane to make good FSE bucks. Not my favorite soundscape, though.
āend of top 10, remarks followā
I dropped the Carenado Beech 17 because of a lack of flight time, and Iāve consigned the Big Radials Norseman to the hangar after not finding time to fly it for two months. Oh well, I only have so much time and so many planes to choose! I bought the Inibuilds Bf108 and itās a good plane, just not good enough to make it into the top 10. Same goes to the Black Square planes - they are great, just donāt stand out as much to me anymore to be honest, and I didnāt get that much flight time with them this month either. I believe Blackboxās Islander is finally truly out of top 10 territory in my hangar, but I still love flying it all the same.
Big, big shoutout to the FrenchFVR PBY-5 Catalina. You can find the model here. It might not have a flight model and it might not have systems depth or amazing textures, but it is a very robust freeware model with lots of love poured into it. I really hope that their work on this beauty is continuing and to see an update to it sometime in the future.
Some planes I wanna try include the upcoming A2A Comanche (duh), the upcoming FSReborn Piper M500, Simworks RV-10, the newly released Carenado C182RG, and the newly released Asobo/Bluemesh LatĆ©coĆØre 631.
9 Likes
My June list (very little change because I didnāt fly much due to travel):
- Fenix A320
- HPG H145
- SWS Kodiak
- FSW Cessna 414
- DC Designs F-14
- AzurPoly C-160 Transall (added in place of Darkstar)
- B78X (removing Heavy Division Mod after AAU2)
- JustFlight WB-Sim 172SP (highly recommend the Boris Audio Works sound set)
- Black Square Analog King Air
- Black Square Analog Bonanza
4 Likes
After many years of saying āsteering wheels are for drivingā, I finally ordered a Fulcrum yoke some months ago. Not exactly the swiftest ( or talkative ) of companies but Iāve heared nothing but good about the productā¦ and having worked occasionally in the past with pro equipment the rather eye-watering price seems more reasonable! I donāt have to run my decisions by anyone tho 
1 Like
Thought Iād try something a little bit different for this monthās list, so here is my MSFS Top Ten Category Shootout. A head-to-head battle for supremacy by the planes Iāve owned and flown, across different (and sometimes very obscure) classes.
Britten Norman aicraft:
BN2 Islander [BlackBox Simulation] vs BN2A MkIII Trislander [BlackBox Simulation]
Goes to the Islander simply because it is the more iconic for me and I feel a personal connection to that plane from my childhood. Both are good though.
Bush plane:
Cessna L19 Bird Dog [BlackBox Simulation] vs CubCrafters Monster NX Cub [Got Gravel]
Have only recently discovered the GotGravel one, and what a joy to have a tricycle gear on a super-capable bush plane. Extra oomph from the NOS makes getting in and out some of those freeware Idaho strips much easier. However, the Bird Dog is still my favourite due to the great views and openable windows/doors. On price/value the Cub obviously wins - I got the Bird Dog on sale at roughly half-price, and that seems about right given its lacklustre graphics (it was after all one of the first releases for MSFS). Just for this month I might give the win to the GotGravel plane, to boost its rankings and recommend it to others who it may also have passed by when it got released.
Entry-level GA:
Piper PA-28R Arrow III [Just Flight] vs Cessna 152 [WB-Sim / JPLogistics]
Again, freeware vs paid means new pilots will be better served by the Cessna, but Iāve had the JF Arrow for a long time and still enjoy it very much (as long as I donāt fly long distances where a better autopilot and the GTN750 are nice to have). Once the Comanche by A2A is out (if not too expensive), this category will look very different, I suspect.
More upmarket GA:
Mooney M20R Ovation [Carenado] vs Cessna 172 Sykhawk (G1000 Bagolu) [Asobo]
See above in terms of value - but Iād argue the Mooney is still worth buying nowadays, especially given a recent update by Carenado. It is nice and fast, and I really like the speed brakes on top of the wings. Potentially the Cessna 182 RG (also by Carenado) could be a challenger here.
STOL passenger aircraft:
Antonov An-2 [Microsoft] vs Quest (Daher) Kodiak 100 [SimWorks Studios]
Easily the Anotonov. The Kodiak (only have the float version) never really quite clicked with me, although I can appreciate all its virtues. The An-2 is just allround fun and quality at the same time, with no real fault I can think of. Even when BlackBox release their Shorts, which I am highly likely to buy, it will be tough to topple the Antonov for this class (or should the 330 go into the next category below?).
Large turboprop:
ATR 72-600 [Microsoft / S&H Software] vs C-160 Transall [AzurPoly]
The toughest one to call. Until this weekās comprehensive update, the ATR would have been eclipsed by the Transall, because the latter is as nicely old-school as my beloved BAe146 and has a really nice flight model with sluggish (in a good way!) handling that makes hand flying enjoyable. Both planes have great features such as modelled cabins etc that make loading and flying them immersive. Going to give it to the ATR this month, but that may easily change again in future.
Passenger jetliner:
Airbus A320 Neo (A32NX) [Asobo / FlyByWire] vs Airbus A320-200 [Fenix Simulations]
The FBW, purely because my PC still struggles with the Fenix if I am at a large airport and have FSLTL on (which is what you want with an airliner). Letās see what their V2 brings. Mind you, I do not regret at all having spent a very reasonable amount of money on the Fenix, and definitely got value out of it before returning to the free rival. Both have some advantages over each other, with the FBWās first officer and METAR printer up against the Fenixās opening cockpit door and windows for example.
DHL cargo plane:
BAe 146-300 [Just Flight] vs Airbus A330-900 Neo [Headwind]
I might have to find a new category for the BAe to compete in once Inibuids release the A300 freighter (canāt wait!), but at this stage JFās offering is still the easy winner. The Headwind is also great fun, and only in its early development, so will get better and better. If you donāt have either, want to do cargo ops and are short of cash, go for the A330, but the BAe is a lot more involved and polished (especially the sound).
Warbird:
P-38 Lightning [Flying Iron Simulations] vs <<Messerschmitt BF109G [Flying Iron Simulations]>>
No contest here because I did not actually buy the 109. I donāt feel confident that I will actually enjoy a plane that is so brilliantly modelled that it becomes very hard to fly. Add the fact that the Lightning is not a taildragger and matches the yoke plus dual throttle quadrants clamped to my desk, and this is the easiest call of the categories by far. However, I can definitely appreciate how good the Messerschmitt is for those who are more capabale than I am at that style of flying, and I love Flying Ironās work.
French follies:
Scrapyard Monster [Flying Fries] vs Citroƫn DS Fantomas [Red Wing Simulations]
The Monster. It is simply sublime in both its craziness and the depth of systems and modelling. It probably wonāt be on next monthās list because the novelty may have worn off, but at the moment it is a ton of fun. The Fantomas car-plane Iāve only used once, but will keep installed because it brings a huge smile to my face when I remember the movies from when I was a kid - Louis de Funes!!!
So here is the actual list for June:
BN2 Islander [BlackBox Simulation]
CubCrafters Monster NX Cub [Got Gravel]
Piper PA-28R Arrow III [Just Flight]
Mooney M20R Ovation [Carenado]
Antonov An-2 [Microsoft]
ATR 72-600 [Microsoft / S&H Software]
Airbus A320 Neo (A32NX) [Asobo / FlyByWire]
BAe 146-300 [Just Flight]
P-38 Lightning [Flying Iron Simulations]
Scrapyard Monster [Flying Fries]
(Out: Bird Dog and JPL/WB C152)
11 Likes
Nice .vs idea mate
BTW I have been reading all the latest lists but wonāt heart them until I deal with them, which wonāt be until after the weekend - cheers all!!
2 Likes
Itās an honour to be contributing to the best thread on the forum:
- FI Spitfire
- CJ4 working title mod
- Analogue King Air
- Ants Tiger Moth
- Kodiak
- Asobo Cub with MGE mod
- 310
- JF Turbo Arrow
- BB Islander
- F35
10 Likes
HPG H145 is currently on a very good deal. Usual price is $49.99; currently on offer at $34.99
Doubt there will ever be an offer like this again.
Donāt know when it ends.
1 Like
My top ten, in no particular order
Tiger Moth (Ants Airplanes)
Spitfire (Flyingiron)
Grumman Goose (Big Radials)
Cessna 152 - JPL mod
Aermacchi MB - 339
Top Rudder 103 (Asobo)
Hellcat (Flyingiron Sim)
Cessna 172 (Asobo)
The above have featured regularly so far, but 2 very new ones for me are:
Blown away by these 2 below, never thought Iād have airliners of one sort or another. Poor cockpit view from both (from what I like), but so, so immersive if you go from cold and dark and enjoy fiddling with things.
Boeing 247D (Wing 42) : New entry, currently Iām enjoying it very much. For some, it was the first study level aircraft in the sim Takes quite a bit of learning, from cold and dark to actual flight in climb and cruise. Itās not without its faults, (which are workable around) bugs that sadly wonāt be fixed now. Nevertheless itās a very pleasant aircraft to fly and well worth the learning curve. Banging away on the wobble pump to get the pressure up, wow.
DC-3 (Asobo) : I flew this back to back with the 247D so a shorter learning curve. Not as in depth as the 247D. This first flew 2 yrs after the 247D, there is quite a difference on start up. No wobble pumps, all switches now. Nothing inside the aircraft but youāve got to remember it is free. More tricky to fly than the 247D, landings in particular - I come in on a 2 point landing with the stick back and the tail low. Great fun.
Iāll be flying the Beechcraft Model 18 before next month as I move on from 1935 on my trip through aviation history. This will probably replace the DC-3.
6 Likes
It is unfortunate something happened to the main dev so soon after it was released as it was truly amazing and groundbreaking at the time. As you say, the bugs and issues are easy enough to work around once you know what to do and it still is fantastic to fly.
So I thought about it a lot because Iām not sure I have a purpose for it, but I did buy the Kodiak in the end. Havenāt loaded it up though, too busy with my buses! I bought the floaty one too. Perhaps Iāll run some scenic tourist flights from Vancouver Island to the Sunshine Coast.
So my top 10 this month:
- Fenix A320
Iāve really really really wanted this for so long but couldnāt on xbox. I bought it on my phone in the middle of the night when I should have been sleeping, even before the sim was installed on my new PC. Iām so happy with this, what can I say, I just love fiddling with buttons and this one is as good as it gets. Everything about it is so well implemented and it flies great. The only negative point is the viewās not so hot out of the cockpit but I think Airbus are to blame for that one.
- Cirrus Vision Jet
This one has the view out of the cockpit that MSFS deserves. And since the update all the avionics are excellent too, especially the flexibility with the split screens. Sadly the update started to cause this to CTD around airports on my series X and the loss of my then favourite aeroplane is what finally caused me to buy a PC. Now the VJ is even better on PC and the scenery is even better to look at.
A shout out for navigraph here. I got navigraph for the first time for the Fenix, it always seemed a bit expensive as a subscription service to get charts that with a bit of effort I could usually get for free (AirMate app on Android has been fantastic for this). I avoided navigraph on xbox because I didnāt want to spend all of that money on something that I mostly couldnāt use with the closed xbox system. Now I have it installed on PC all I can say is wow, this is such a different experience. I really like the navigraph software, the apps are really well designed and pleasant to use. The functionality is huge (now weather too) and it now feels like good value for money.
Plugging navigraph into the VJ puts the icing on the cake. And the Fenix integration on the EFB is the best!
- FlyingIron Spitfire
Every month another significant update, I donāt know what else they can do to make this any better given its already one of the best in the sim. If they improve it much more itāll be better than the real thing! 
- Inibuilds A310
Itās holding out against premium airliners and itās free. Best value in the game. Returns now Iām on PC because finally I can do a flight between 3rd party airports without black screens and CTD. If you want to long haul in a bus thereās no competition yet - I wish Fenix would make an A350.
- Cabri G2
A good heli for free.
- Zenith CH701 STOL
Enjoying this for short bush trips and wildlife watching.
- C-22J
Still great, but a month isnāt long enough to fly 10 planes.
- P42 Kitfox
Iāve had a lot of time in this one but I feel itās not keeping up with the rest of the sim. In particular the Garmin really needs a reality upgrade. From reading the blogs it seems that P42 take the opposite approach to Flying Iron; P42 donāt do continuous free improvement, they sell the plane working as-is then support it to make sure it keeps running, but donāt upgrade it beyond what they originally announced. Thereās nothing wrong with the business model but I know which I prefer. Iām actually looking for a replacement for this, with better avionics, but Iāll keep flying the kitfox until I find one.
- Concorde
Itās a great medium fidelity implementation. DC Designs promised the realistic INS to replace the out of context A320 MCDU but itās gone quiet on that front. I hope we get that this year, otherwise I may lose this out of my top 10. Real Concorde will always be my favourite plane though.
- Jetpac JW1
Canāt afford a real jetpack so this will have to do.
9 Likes
Not a lot of great bush planes with complete advanced avionics.
Luckily, you have the Kodiak waiting. Not the same, butā¦
1 Like
I do not have it yet personally, but the Ran S6S is getting good users reviews and apparently has a pretty complete avionics package.
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Note the original release had no autopilot but with the recent update an autopilot was added.
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Hi mate. As I donāt fly this, not sure what you mean by removing the HD mod. Does that then just become the Asobo Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner?
Hey - thanks for your first list, finally lol!!
Just checking is that the CubCrafters NX Cub or Zlin Savage Cub? I assumed the latter but let me know and I can change it 