I jumped ship to PC last month so now Iâm all of a sudden flying freeware versions of everything with mods. Now I canât decide because I canât get out of the 10 ânewâ versions of the 172-I mean come on a 172 Reimes with roof windows, steam with GTN750, more power-and RED CARPET!.. Going to be a tough May to call out some favorites.
I usually add more narrative, but Iâm pressed for time. The difference between 1 and the bottom of my honorable mentions is razor-thin, but I had to pick an order somehow.
PMDG 737-800
Fenix A320
A2A Comanche
BKSQ TBM-850
FSW Chancellor C414
Milviz C310
BKSQ Caravan
Horizon/Asobo 787-9
FlightFX VisionJet
Azurpoly OV-10 - My first-ever military plane purchase, but wonât be my last. Fun flying combos of NDB, VOR, and TACAN navigation.
Iâve been reading about it and seeing a lot of good videos about it. I went to the MP a few minutes ago and bought itâŠand the TrislanderâŠand the livery pack. Less that $30 for all of it seemed like a no-brainer. Now the question isâŠwill I fly them?
Hereâs my list for April. I donât think youâll be able to tell that I like warbirdsâŠ
Flying Irons Spitfire Mk.IX: Itâs just one of the most enjoyable aircraft in the sim. Some of my favorite statements about the flying characteristics of the real Spitfire are roughly recollected:
It just goes in the direction youâre looking, without really moving the controls.
You donât sit in it; you strap it on.
Flying Iron somehow managed to get this feeling across in the sim. Itâs just an absolute pleasure to fly, especially when doing aerobatics.
Shrike Simulations F-86 Sabre: The Milviz F-86 was one of my absolute favorite aircraft in FSX, so Iâm super happy to have it back in MSFS. The real F-86 is considered by many as one of the nicest flying aircraft ever build. Eric Brown, the famous test pilot, who held the world record for most flown aircraft types (487 types, not counting sub types) listed the F-86 among his favorite aircraft. Steve Hinton, the famous warbird pilot, who has also flown pretty much everything with wings, names the Sabre as his favorite aircraft.
I think Shrike have done a wonderful job to replicate the Sabreâs nice flying characteristics.
Flying Irons Bf-109 G-6: I havenât flown it a whole lot this month, but I still think, that itâs currently the best warbird in MSFS. Many pilots who have flown the 109 in real life, describe the experience as very rewarding. Especially when youâre back on the ground, the aircraft is still in one piece and you have time to reflect on your flight.
Flying Iron did a great job replicating the challenging flying and ground characteristics of the 109. Which results in one of the most rewarding experiences in MSFS when you get everything right.
Flying Irons Hellcat: Looking at the Hellcat one wouldnât expect it to be very agile or easy to fly, but itâs exactly that and according to pilot reports so is the real one. Itâs probably one of the easiest warbirds to land, it just settles in a three point attitude and itâs very rare to bounce.
Flying Irons P-38 Lightning: Just like the Hellcat itâs surprisingly agile for its size and very easy to fly. Which again seems to be accurate, according to Steve Hinton if you can climb into it you can fly it.
I donât know if itâs just my imagination, but I feel like it became even more enjoyable to fly since the recent update. With the custom ground handling, wear model, and all the tablet features Flying Iron is really in a league of their own when it comes warbirds. And I canât wait to try out their upcoming FW 190, B-17 and Hunter.
Blackbirds FG-1D Corsair: Despite not flying it a whole lot this month, itâs still my favorite aircraft in MSFS once in the air. I could do aerobatics with it until the fuel runs out. For some reason it feels like it wants to be flown aggressively. With the other warbirds Iâm usually at around 5Gs max, but with the Corsair I always end up at 6-7Gs.
If it would have custom ground handling like Flying Irons aircraft and realistic engine temperatures (since the last update the cylinder head temperature immediately jumps into the high green after startup) it would be the perfect aircraft.
AT Simulations Antonov An-2: I still think itâs the best Local Legend so far and itâs probably my favorite non warbird in MSFS. From time to time I do some sightseeing flight with it, but I spend most of time with it switching between STOL flying and elephant dance aerobatics.
GotFriends Wilga: When it came out, I listed the Wilga as one of my favorite aircraft in MSFS. It has so many fantastic and unique features and itâs very obviously a real passion project. For some reason I stopped flying it after a few months and would only use it for short flights very sporadically.
Recently I finally got back to it and I think itâs still one of the best aircraft in the sim. Itâs certainly my favorite STOL aircraft. I never really clicked with the Kitfox, Rans or Zenith. They are just effortless and it doesnât take a lot of practice to get good at short landings and takeoffs. With the Wilga it takes some practice and if youâre to slow itâll bite + you get a big radial in front =)
AzurPolys OV-10 Bronco: Itâs one of the addons Iâve been most looking forward too since its announcement. Especially since Iâve been lucky enough to see F-AZKM, the aircraft AzurPoly worked with to recreate the Bronco, many times at airshows.
The Bronco doesnât only look unique, but it also has very unusual flying characteristics. Itâs incredibly agile but also has very pronounced yaw effects during big aileron inputs. I think AzurPoly have done a fantastic job to recreate that behavior.
Aeroplane Heaven P-47 with Hellcat sounds: Initially I was quite disappointed by the P-47, the sounds made it almost impossible to enjoy flying it. But after linking it to the sound folder of the Hellcat the experience has really transformed.
Despite some inaccuracies I think the P-47 is so far one of the best visual models done by Aeroplane Heaven. And overall, itâs very enjoyable to fly. The ground handling also feels better compared to many other taildraggers and it lands perfectly in both two-point and three-point attitudes. And itâs just great to have a new warbird type in MSFS.
This is one of my favorite threads in the forum and has introduced me to quite a few wonderful addons I would probably have missed otherwise. Thanks again @Baracus250 for your hard work! But I must admit, by now there are countless other aircraft that could make my list and itâs becoming hard to pick just 10⊠a good problem to have
Yeah it is a great one. Still in my Top 10 of âmost flownâ which is not (and never has been) the same as my actual Top 10. Some are pretty obvious(ly) though
The 152 and A36 definitely got a big boost from Neofly. Iâm surprised to see the DC3, as much as I like it, I havenât flown it in ages, though I do recall flying it religiously when it first released. Same with the 172, I suspect most of that was early on when I first got the game.
This month we went past 100 unique voters for 2024, so thanks everyone for joining in. There were a massive 13 new aircraft added this month (including a few older ones that had not actually been mentioned before, see below) and it seems the 2024 Top 25 is settling down, with almost all the same aircraft jostling for position rather than new ones coming in or current ones dropping out by large steps. See the full PDF as always for the whole picture.
Highest new entry is the OV-10 Bronco by AzurPoly in 17th place for the month and 39th overall with the Tomahawk by Just Flight in 35th place and 67th overall (but to be fair it has not had long since release, letâs see next month!).
==== COMPLETE CHARTS PDF PACK ==== 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. Download the PDF here:
====== MY SUMMARY ======
There were a huge 13 new Aircraft mentioned this month:
Developer
Aircraft
AzurPoly
North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco
Just Flight
Piper PA-38 Tomahawk
Aeroplane Heaven
Republic P-47 D Razorback
Shrike Simulations
North American F-86 Sabre
Red Wing
Hindenburg Airship
Cowan Sim
Robinson R22
Heaven Designs / Giba
Maule MX-7-180
Microsoft / iniBuilds
Dornier Do 31
Golden Key Studios
General Dynamics F-111E Aardvark
BT Studio
Piper J3C-65 Cub
Virtavia
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
HCG
Mosquito XE
Leonardo
Maddog MD-83/88
====== FREEWARE CHARTS ======
Donât forget you can also now vote and see a separate list of FREEWARE ONLY AIRCRAFT here:
âŠif you have not yet voted there, please go ahead and add your favourite in this topic!
FINAL NOTE: The May Chart Update will be done on 2nd June as that is the nearest Sunday to the end of the month. Thanks everyone!!
My APRIL Top 10
By the way, if anyone is interested, I kept the same votes for myself this month. The Tomahawk COULD creep in somewhere if they sort out the odd bugs and stuff:
The changes to my top 10 are mainly related to new hardware Iâve picked up, specifically, a VKB Ultimate Mk4 Gunfighter Ultimate stick and the VKB STECS throttle (replacing my CH stick/throttle and the Thrustmaster TCA Captain Stick). As a result of these new acquisitions Iâve mostly been flying stick planes. Moreover, Iâve been gravitating towards âeasy to flyâ planes due to limited time.
COWS DA-42. A new number 1! Took me awhile to warm up to the DA-42 as I almost felt she was too easy to fly. But she matches up with my new hardware perfectly, and just a low stress place that feels ârightâ. The glass nav is easy to operate and I can nail most landings with her. Flying the DA-42 more than any other plane atm.
Black Square TBM 850. Hasnât been getting much flying time as Iâve been avoiding traditional yokes lately, but sheâs still a stellar plane with lots to do.
Fenix A320. The consensus top airliner for me. Easy to fly and great for long haul.
PMDG 737-800. My first âtoughâ plane. Havenât flown her in a long while and probably should get back to her as I wait for the 777. Top notch.
Kodiak 100. The very first payware plane I ever bought and still holds a special place in my hear.
Cirrus Vision Jet. Sheâs getting a lot of flight time now. Like the DA-42 easy to get going and hit the skies. Looks good. The Bose headphones on the dash is incredibly annoying (though easy to get rid of them), but otherwise a joy to fly.
Black Square Analog King Air 350. Very fun and easy to land.
Got Friends Wilga. Have had many good times with the Wilga. Love the view from the cockpit and like the Comanche feels very authentic when you fly her.
Comanche. I mean we all know about the stellar sound and flight model. Not a fan of the auto-pilot stuff but thatâs just my personal preference and not a flaw per se.
FSR 500. A garage queen of late as I have a ton of payware planes, but I remember how much I enjoyed flying this plane.
Random Planes that didnât make the cut:
Heatblur F-14. Finally have taken her out a bit and will probably break my top 10 eventually. I fly in DCS (main the F-16) so I kinda want weapon systems and the ability to blow stuff up. I swear if Microsoft decided to enter the military game like DCS theyâd probably end DCS and dominate the market (as the developers of DCS, ED, canât get out of their own way). Not sure why Microsoft doesnât take that market as the F-14 shows the potential.
OV-10 Bronco. UghâŠI want to love this plane. The views out of the cockpit are IMHO the best in the game. Feels like a Star Wars Tie Fighter. But I simply cannot land her properly. 80% of the time Iâm either crashing, going off the runway, flipping it, etc., and I can competently land 99% of the planes in MSFS. Not sure whatâs up, but if I ever learn to land her sheâll be a top 10 plane.
BAE-146. Honestly the only reason this plane isnât in my top 10 is I find her to be so accurate that it is difficult for me to invest the time to get her going and flying her correctly. The lack of VNAV is also an issue. The thing is, she is AUTHENTIC, which is awesome so no shade at the developers at all; theyâve done a fantastic job. But I just canât find the time and patience to fly her atm. Sheâll be back in top 10 eventually Iâm sure.
You got the Double Ender? I think youâd like it. That thing was BUILT for good views. And does remind me of a Tie Fighter or the Millennium Falcon gunners capsule. Obviously not as fast as the Bronco but itâs super fun and the perfect companion for current day bushing!
==== 2024âs TOP 25 ==== 
==== THIS MONTHS TOP 25 ==== 
==== COMPLETE CHARTS PDF PACK ==== 
Download the PDF here:
====== MY SUMMARY ====== 
====== FREEWARE CHARTS ====== 
