Classic Aircraft Reviews

Aircraft Update Review: C-47 Skytrain/DC-3 Airliner NXG by vSkyLabs You may think that the vSkyLabs C-47/DC-3 Project was the first developed aircraft for the X-Plane Simulator from this very prolific developer. Well you would be wrong as that was the BI-1, a Russian rocket-powered prototype from 1942, and this aircraft was released in 2017. but your not too far out either, as the original C-47 Skytrain was also released in 2017, in development the military version of the DC-3 has now been the longest of every "Flying Lab" project. In those eight years the Douglas based aircraft has changed considerably as well through four major updates and loads of minor changes, sp…

Aircraft Review : Sopwith F.1 Camel by NHAdrian Your in Clairmarais in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France in 1917, a step and throw from the WW1 battlefield of Ypres Salient on the Western Front. The position is temporary with basic hangars, wooden and canvas structures, and basic support facilities, reflecting its status as a rapidly deployed wartime installation. This is the replica scenario created by NH-Adrian to highlight his next release for the X-Plane Simulator, a very famous aircraft in the Sopworth F.1 Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It …

Aircraft Review: de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo by X-Hangar By Dominic Smith Introduction Well, I’m back again with an updated model from X-Hangar, this time the venerable DHC-5 Buffalo. This tough and versatile transport, with its own kind of charm and character, is the latest to grab my attention, especially as it’s from a developer whose work I always enjoy. The DHC-5 Buffalo, a follow-on from the DHC-4 Caribou, was developed by De Havilland Canada and first flew in the 1960s. Built to meet the demanding needs of both military and civilian operators, the Buffalo made a name for itself with its STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) abilities, able to get into places …

Aircraft Review: Stinson 108 Package XP12 by Ted Cook By Colin Parker Introduction Ted Cook has released his latest model, the Stinson 108-3, for X-Plane 12. Building on the X-Plane 11 version, this new release introduces custom airfoils, an updated FMOD sound package, improved weight and balance configuration, and the exciting new water features of X-Plane 12. The add-on includes three distinct models: Basic VFR model: perfect for straightforward visual flying. IFR model: a VFR model with added blind flying instruments and a basic radio/nav package. Seaplane: for exploring X-Plane’s impressive water physics. The Stinson Aircraft Company, founded in 1920 by stunt pilo…

Classic Aircraft Review : North American T-6G Texan by Khamsin & Philip Ubben The extent of the full impression of the effects of the North American T-6G Texan are hidden behind the diversity of the models and different variations of the original aircraft. Not only for the American Air Force and Naval services "SNJ". But the British Commonwealth versions under the "Harvard" moniker, and localised variations of the Australian CAC Wirraway and Canada's Noorduyn, and it was even developed later into the North American P-64, altogether there has been 15,495 aircraft built, and it had an operational life of 60 Years (1935 to 1995). No small feat for a trainer a…

Classic Aircraft Review Updated : Aircruiser 66-75 v1.1 by Hangar 23 Very early classic aircraft are very interesting, more so when they are so rare. This aircraft is about as rare as you could could imagine, only 23 of them were built between 1930 and 1938. But they have a significant place in Aviation history, only to be replaced by the United States federal regulations that prohibited single-engine transports on United States airlines, virtually eliminating future markets for the Aircruiser. Bellanca Aircruiser and Airbus were high-wing, single-engine aircraft built by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation of New Castle, Delaware. The aircraft was buil…

Release Classic Aircraft Review : Aircruiser 66-75 by Hangar 23 (note this review has now been updated to include v1.1 : Classic Aircraft Review Updated : Aircruiser 66-75 v1.1 by Hangar 23) Very early classic aircraft are very interesting, more so when they are so rare. This aircraft is about as rare as you could could imagine, only 23 of them were built between 1930 and 1938. But they have a significant place in Aviation history, only to be replaced by the United States federal regulations that prohibited single-engine transports on United States airlines, virtually eliminating future markets for the Aircruiser. Bellanca Aircruiser and Ai…

Aircraft Review : Piper J3 Cub by SimSolutions The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Piper Aircraft's most-produced model, of which nearly 20,000 Cubs were built in the United States. Its simplicity, affordability and popularity invokes comparisons to the Ford Model T automobile. The aircraft is a high-wing, strut-braced monoplane with a large-area rectangular wing. It is most often powered by an air-cooled, flat-4 piston engine driving a fixed-pitch…

Experimental Vehicle Review : LLTV - Lunar Landing Training Vehicle by NHAdrian It was a moment of inertia. A pause in the air that could have changed history as we know it. It is 6th May 1968 at Houston’s Ellington Air Force Base (AFB) in Texas. As the strange web framed vehicle was now suddenly frozen at 200ft above the ground with the sudden loss of helium pressure, that then caused the depletion of the hydrogen peroxide that was used for the reserve attitude thrusters. The pilot only had one option, "to get the hell out of there", he did so by ejecting upwards as the machine twirled downwards into the ground and violently exploded beneath him, he landed safely by pa…

Aircraft Release Review : DHC-2 Beaver DGS Series XP12 by Thranda Design In aviation folklore, there are machines that have created an impact by their design alone, but a few have gone even higher into a sort of immortal status, Say Spitfire or DC-3, Concorde and even the Boeing 707. One other aircraft can also join this upper echelons of achievement, and that is the de Havilland Canada Type 2... also known as the "Beaver". Often referred to as the “best bush plane ever built”, the DHC-2 has been instrumental in developing and servicing far-reaching frontiers since it was first introduced in 1947. The DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined, high-wing, pr…

Aircraft Update : vSkylabs C-47 Skytrain v6.0b2 and DC-3 Airliner v2.0b2 Midway though 2017. Established developer vSkylabs released a classic aircraft for the X-Plane Simulator in the form of the Douglas Commercial 3, or DC-3 as it affectionately became known. The earlier release was of the C-47 variant, or the military "Skytrain" version that won World War ll. Well the aircraft had a big part in winning the logistics side of the war. But in reality the main success of the C-47 was post-war with the huge surplus of these ex-military aircraft becoming an aviation legacy that will never be repeated. The earlier vskylabs C-47/DC-3 aircraft was an ana…

Aircraft Review: X-Hangar DHC-4 Caribou By Dominic Smith Introduction With an enduring passion for the art of virtual aviation, I am always thrilled to sit at the controls of a new X-Plane model, even though my flying skills often don't warrant it. Today, it is the turn of the DHC-4 Caribou from X-Hangar, a developer whose work I have really come to admire over my two-decade journey through the X-Plane universe. Each new aircraft I encounter, such as the Caribou here, rekindles my enthusiasm and reinforces my belief in the infinite possibilities of X-Plane. This robust and versatile transport aircraft, with its unique charm and capabiliti…

Aircraft Update Review - DC-3/C47 Skytrain v4.0r4 by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project vSkyLabs are back with another focus on the DC-3/C47 heritage aircraft. It is a year since the last v3.0 update that renovated the cabin and included a cargo version... note the word "Project" as in any aircraft by VSkyLabs creates is an ongoing project and there is more to come as the aircraft is developed out more and more. This is part of the deal with the developer, and at least he keeps his side of the bargain. Noting the versions... Authentic DC-3 "Douglas Commercial" above and the C-47 Skytrain below... ... you can add …

Aircraft Release : DC-3 Airliner by vSkyLabs vSkyLabs have released the DC-3 Airliner for X-Plane 12... DC-3? Confused yes? We have been flying the vSkyLabs DC-3 for years? Well you have actually been flying the C-47 (Military) version for years. So let us clear up the biggest confusion first. Yes to a point this new release is the (same) DC-3. But the aircraft design has been split into three distinctive variants. The original C-47 Skytrain, this DC-3 Airliner and the forthcoming Tri-Turbo-Three, In context; VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot': C-47B Skytrain: Highly defined C-47B simulation of the 30's-50's era; authentic WWII era co…

Aircraft Review: Handley Page Hampden by Virtavia Introduction The 1930s was a great period for military aircraft development. At Handley Page one of their best examples during this time was the Heyford bomber, which went into service with the Royal Air Force in 1934. The Heyford was a biplane with an open cockpit and gun positions, had a fixed undercarriage and used a mixed construction of metal and fabric. The Heyford was the last biplane heavy bomber operated by the RAF. When you compare the Heyford to the Hampden, the differences between them were huge, especially when you consider there were only four years between them. History has a great way of…

Classic Aircraft Review : Short Stirling Mk1-4 by Virtavia The Short Stirling is a World War 2 era four-engined bomber that entered RAF service on the eve of WW2. It was originally the RAF's primary bomber, but with a few short falls in the design it then relegated the aircraft into a secondary role behind the Avro Lancaster and the Handley Page Halifax. Short Brothers or "Shorts" are a Northern Ireland based company known famously for their "Empire" Flying boats in the 1930's, that were also a good basis for a tactical bomber. The S.29 design was a derivative design of the Sunderland Flying boat, the wings and controls were the same, the construction wa…

Classic Aircraft Review : Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXc by FlyingIron "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" The quote is from a wartime speech made by the British prime minister Winston Churchill on 20 August 1940. It is an iconic quote and usually accompanied by the usual iconic image of a Spitfire, the fighter machine that was flown by the few that we owe so much to. In reality it was the numbers of the cheaper Hawker Hurricane that was the backbone of the RAF in 1939/1940 and in the Battle of Britain in that fateful summer. But the Supermarine Spitfire was a class aircraft on it's own, only prob…

Classic Aircraft Review : Let L-200D Morava by PWDT&NHAdrian Lots of time you wander around an airfield or museum and you see an aircraft... It sorta looks familiar, but at the same time it doesn't look like anything you know about all the certain types of aircraft, it is an oddity and In most cases it is usually an Eastern-Bloc or Russian in design. The Ruskies had looked at a western aircraft design, took the basics and then built it into their own design paradigm. So the design looks the same but in reality it is a copy of the real thing. Some Eastern-Bloc designers take another angle, as they look at current aircraft designs and mesh them together to create a s…

Aircraft Review : Boeing B-29 Superfortress by Virtavia and Dawson Designs 8.16.... 6th August 1945. Then for a brief second the world stopped and in a moment later the first Atomic Blast took place as "Little Boy" 1,900 feet (580 m) exploded above the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later on August 9, 1945, Bockscar, flown by Charles Sweeney's crew, carried "Fat Man", with Kokura as the primary target and Nagasaki the secondary target. The weather and earlier bombing smoke made Kokura a poor target and Nagasaki then became the second and last atomic target at 11:02. The delivery aircraft for both of those atomic raids was the Boeing B-29 Sup…

Aircraft Review : Messerschmitt 262 A-1a Schwalbe (Swallow) by MLADG The Messerschmitt 262 Schwalbe (Swallow) was the first operational jet-fighter in history, It was also the first jet-bomber as well, but nothing heavy in 2 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or 2 × 500 kg (1,100 lb) loads. Other uses for the Me 262 were for reconnaissance, and even a few experimental night fighter versions. There was no doubt this was an aircraft before its time, as the aircraft itself was a vision of the future for fighters. But the engines were not in the same category as the requirements for high quality alloys (and materials in short supply in the war) kept the aircraft on the grou…

Aircraft Review : Rutan Model-158 Pond Racer - Test-Pilot Project by vSkyLabs The bizarre and the unorthodox is littered with examples in aviation, more than really any other medium. Then aviation pushes the boundary on what can and even the unexpected of what has been achieved in relation to leaving the boundaries of not only above the ground but to go even beyond the planet Earth itself. The experimental aspect of flight is strewn with examples that pushed the boundaries forward, but was also the death of many a good pilot... the Model-158 Pond Racer is one such example. First is the name "Pond Racer"... it is not an aircraft designed to fly ov…

Aircraft Update Review : Cessna 140 v1.1 by NKDesign The Cessna 120, 140, and 140A series, are single-engine, two-seat, conventional landing gear (tailwheel), light general aviation aircraft that were first produced post-war WW2 in 1946. Production ended in 1951, and was succeeded in 1959 by the Cessna 150, a similar two-seat trainer which introduced tricycle gear. Combined production of the 120, 140, and 140A was 7,664 units in five years. The Cessna 140 was originally equipped with a Continental C-85-12 or C-85-12F horizontally opposed, air-cooled, four-cylinder piston engine of 85 hp (63 kW). The Continental C-90-12F or C-90-14F of 90 hp (67 kW)…

Updated Aircraft Review : DHC-2 Beaver - DGS Series v1.1 by Thranda Design Mention the word "Beaver" and "de-Havilland" and any pilot will go misty eyed, and gaze at you blindly lost in cloud of personal memories, it is an emotive aircraft. The DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft that was developed by de Havilland Canada in 1946, and is known as a bush plane, in fact one of the most highly regarded bush aircraft ever created. There was 1,657 Beavers built between 1947–1967 and half are actually still flying and working hard. In fact you can currently buy a zero-time frame and just rebuild your current aircraft and keep …

Aircraft Review : DHC-2 Beaver - DGS Series by Thranda Design Mention the word "Beaver" and "de-Havilland" and any pilot will go misty eyed, and gaze at you blindly lost in cloud of personal memories, it is an emotive aircraft. The DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft that was developed by de Havilland Canada in 1946, and is known as a bush plane, in fact one of the most highly regarded bush aircraft ever created. There was 1,657 Beavers built between 1947–1967 and half are actually still flying and working hard. In fact you can currently buy a zero-time frame and just rebuild your current aircraft and keep the machine f…

Aircraft Review : Lockheed P-38L Lightning by Flying Iron Simulations Known by it's nickname the "Fork-tailed devil" or in German "der Gabelschwanz-Teufel" , the Lockheed P-38 Lighting is a twin-engined - twin boomed tail World War II era American piston-engined fighter aircraft. The main aircraft's role was as a general fighter, the P-38 was also highly utilized in various other aerial combat roles including as a highly effective fighter-bomber, a night fighter and as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks. The P-38 was also used as a bomber-pathfinder, guiding streams of medium and heavy bombers and even other P-38s equipped with bombs to…