Classic Aircraft Reviews

Aircraft Update Review - DC-3/C47 v3.0b1 by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project Changes on VSkyLab's DC3/C47 is increment by increment. That is not a bad as long as it goes forward of which this project always has done, and note the word "Project" as any aircraft by VSkyLabs is an ongoing project and there is more to come as it 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. It was noted that v3.0 was always going to be a significant overhaul, and it is... and it isn't as well? Confused, well that will be explained. First the external textures was changed or gone from 2K to 4K te…

Aircraft Re-Release : DHC-3T Turbo Otter by VFlightAir If you think you are reading the same release review of the vFlyteAir DHC-3T Turbo Otter from a few months back then to a point you are. The reason is that the politics has made MilViz quit our simulation world to go back to the greener pastures of FlightSimulator, that is of course to our loss. But this DHC-3T was originally a collaboration anyway between MilViz as the aircraft's original FlightSim developer and a conversion to X-Plane that was done by vFlyteAir. Now vFlyteAir have brought out the total rights of the aircraft and it is now rebranded completely under the vFlyteAir banner for X-Plane11…

Classic Aircraft Review - DHC-2T Beaver Turbo by Shade Tree Micro Aviation The classic DHC-2 Beaver is seemingly everywhere, but its claim to fame is as the "workhorse of the north", Alaska north that is. But when production stopped in 1967 when the original line was shut down, there had only been 1657 aircraft built. But as the Beaver's reputation grew the de Havilland aircraft company of Canada had no choice but to put the aircraft back into production. It is one of those aircraft that should have been long out of production since its first flight August 16, 1947. But the DHC-2 solders on in not only are there hundreds still flying, but many have been totall…

Aircraft Review : DHC-2 Beaver by SoulMade Simulations Different aspects of areas around the world need specialised aircraft to perform in them. And in rugged remote terrain a simple aircraft can be the only connection between you and the rest of the world. Enter the DHC-2 Beaver which is single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada in 1946, and is known as a bush plane. There was 1,657 Beavers built between 1947–1967 and half are still flying and working hard. In fact you can buy a zero-time frame and just rebuild your aircraft and keep flying as long as you can afford new airframes. History de Havilland Canada…

First Impression Review : DHC-3T Turbo Otter by MilViz MilViz that stands for "Military Visualizations" and that denotes the core of MilViz aircraft are military focused on the FSX / P3D platform, but in releasing for X-Plane they have currently released only a general aviation aircraft in the Cessna T310R and now this lovely DHC-3T Turbo Otter. First impressions are very impressive, this is a very nice bush style aircraft with a lot of power, so you have a foot in both camps with a rugged well developed aircraft and a modern turbine powerplant in the 750 HP PT6A-34 turbine and it is based on the typical Viking or Vazar conversion. …

Aircraft Review : Antonov An-2 by Red Eyes (X-Plane aircraft design Bureau) The Antonov An-2 is known endearingly by the Russian nickname of "Annushka" or "Annie" that was built by the Antonov Design Bureau (now State Company) to meet a 1947 Soviet Ministry of Forestry requirement for a replacement for the then popular Polikarpov Po-2. It is a Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane for utility/agricultural use and hence its other nickname "Kukuruznik" which means literally "cropduster". The Antonov An-2 was a large single bay biplane of all-metal construction, with an enclosed cockpit and a cabin with room for seats to accommodate up to twelve passengers …

Classic Aircraft : Rutan Model 61 Long - EZ by VSKYLABS In the early evolution of aircraft design it was the singular force of an pioneer engineer that drove the design and innovation. Think of the names of Curtiss, Boeing, Douglas, Hawker, Dornier, Junkers, Hughes and many more. But as the designs became more complex and they required more od the differential skills then most of these individual pioneers were replaced with teams or companies to build the aviation industry into what we know today, most of these manufacturers were still exceedingly clever in what they produced, but were also very conservative in the same sense in that their expensive products h…

Aircraft Review : McDonnell Douglas Harrier AV-8B by X-Trident The AV-8A/B version of the Harrier is in essence a version Mk ll of the famous and highly versatile British Hawker Siddeley "Jump Jet". The Jump Jet story starts with the Hawker P.1127 and the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel FGA.1. Both are the experimental and development aircraft that led to the Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) jet fighter-bomber. The P.1127 development began in 1957, in taking advantage of the Bristol Engine Company's choice to invest in the creation of the Rolls Royce Pegasus vectored-thrust engine. Tethered testing began in July 19…

Aircraft Review : Piper PA-18 SuperCub by AeroSim Development Group The original PiperCub was the J-3 a very lightweight tamdem-seater aircraft built between 1937 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. (the first design was the "Taylor Cub" but it was Piper Aircraft that created the classic Cub version that sold 20,000 aircraft). The design is extremely simple with a fabric covered tube frame with a strut-braced high-wing monoplane with a large-area rectangular wing and was powered by an 37 hp (28 kW) air-cooled piston engine driving a fixed-pitch propeller. The Cub was as basic an aircraft as you could fly in the air. Like all successful designs then the air…

Aircraft Review : Republic P-47N Thunderbolt by Flyingiron Simulations It was worth the try... everyone who loves cars has tried it, in shoehorning in an engine that the original vehicle didn't come with? In my case it was an ex Ford Galaxie 390 6.4L V8, and it was inserted or really panel beaten into a Ford Cortina. Now the point is this absurdly done installation didn't take into account that the dynamics of the donor Ford Cortina was certainly not up to the task of the extremely high power output of the 390 V8 2V 265 bhp (197.6 kW). No doubt the Cortina went almost into orbit in a straight line, but the suspension and braking dynamics, sort of let the whole…

DC-3/C47 v2.7b by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project Ice! The airman's nightmare... Laminar Research has added in a great new ice feature into X-Plane that uses an icing algorithm. Never one to miss an opportunity when you see one, then vSkyLabs has added the feature to the DC3/C47 Skytrain aircraft. So this release version is interesting in that we new get to see the new Ice feature in action, and very good it is as well. The DC3/C47 already had a great visual feature with the excellent rain effects that are very effective and realistic... ... you can almost feel the damp wet moisture trickling down your back, never mind the wi…

Aircraft XP11 Update : DHC-2 Beaver by SoulMadeSimulations This is not a full version update for SoulMade Simulation's excellent DHC-2 Beaver, but really an adjustment for the aircraft fly correctly in X-Plane11 with all the required X-Plane11 dynamics and performance details. The full update for XP11 which is v1.3 has been promised for quite awhile, and understandably users were getting a little hot under the collar as the aircraft was quite unflyable in the X-Plane11 version of the simulator, and if you wanted to fly this amazing bush aircraft you were restricted to only the X-Plane10 version. So Peter Krouse certainly wanted to deli…

Pitts S-2S Review The Pitts S-2S (special) is an iconic aircraft for aerobatics all around the world, if you see a small biplane tumbling around and spinning out of control above you, it's most likely going to be the Pitts! It's strong airframe and remarkable design makes it readily available for sharp turns and stunt upon the pilots command! The powerful Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5 (260hp) is a heavier engine from the previous models of the Pitts Special but it's increased power makes it more agile in flight. The S-2S model has one single cockpit seating one pilot, other models such as the S-2C can seat two people, so you can make the passenger feel nausea and rea…

Aircraft Update Review - DC-3/C47 v2.5a by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project This aircraft from VSkyLabs is being updated so fast it is almost requiring a separate monthly column in X-PlaneReviews. Here is the latest in v2.5a (note the 5a) and usually only a few weeks after the last release you wouldn't give an update like this a second glance, but boy there is a lot of really nice goodies in this update and so it is certainly well worth noting. Images and conditions will be a little murky in this update, but that is for a reason... Yes I also promise I will put the DC-3 into a another livery next time around, but I am still totally i…

Aircraft Update Review - DC-3/C47 v2.1 by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project . Only weeks ago, 22nd July 2017 actually I did a full new release review of VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project's DC3/C47. At X-PlaneReviews we do have a lot of new releases and with this year's new X-Plane11 revolution there is a full roll-out of aircraft and scenery that is being updated to the new format as well, so it has all been very busy. In reviews we do the review and unless there is a significant update and then we move on to the next release. I really loved VSkyLabs project of the DC3/C47, and noted so in the review. But there was at the time a few reservations of the current s…

Aircraft Review : Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT by Ted Cook Productions There was a time when you went to a field, yes only a green grass field, you climbed into a machine and flew to another green field at your destination. There was no carparking, no security, no scanners, no food courts, no flight boards, no wifi, no boarding gates, no airbridges, no taxi holding, no waiting in line to takeoff, no holding patterns, all you did was pass over your bags and got into an aircraft and flew in the air... it was the first "Golden age of Air Travel". It was impossibly dangerous as well? The machines were to say very are very basic, flying was rough, noisy and the …

Aircraft Review - DC-3/C47 by VSkyLabs Flying Lab Project What marks the ultimate in greatness. In most cases it is something or someone that has had an significant impact and has created enough of a shift in the way the whole world works or lives. In the case of aviation the impact it was total. From the destruction of distance, time and even the cost of moving around the planet can not be challenged in any shape or form. But like most brilliant inventions the changes that we take for granted today are usually in steps, and some steps are small but important, but some are huge and changes almost everything in the way we used movement and in the way you travel…

Aircraft Upgraded to X-PLane11 : DHC-2 Beaver by STMA Shade Tree Micro Aviation (STMA) have upgraded their (de Havilland Canada) DHC-2 Beaver collection to X-Plane11. The DHC-2 Beaver is one of STMA's most successful aircraft, consistently updated and great to fly. This upgrade also allows STMA to bring to the aircraft some of their newer features found on other aircraft in their range. These tools including the AutoUpdater (below left) and STMA Dock with the PreFlight Group with aircraft towing tug also now added to the aircraft. New Additions include an update to the latest default GNS 430 GPS and the…

Aircraft Review : Boeing 707-420 by Wilson's Aircraft In late 2015 Mike Wilson released an update or in Hollywood speak a "Reboot" of an old favorite in his Boeing 707-320. It was in a nutshell the old aircraft with a 3d virtual cockpit installed and a few other tweeks. It was an interesting idea in just not letting the older design fade away, but to bring it back to life and be usable in your current X-Plane environment, and it worked... to a point. Then Mike Wilson did the same reboot to another old favorite in the Douglas DC-8 which was a very successful reimagining of that other famous aircraft from the 50/60's. With the DC-8 series being well…

Classic Aircraft : de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter by RW Designs The de Havilland Canada company of Canada (DHC) had a huge success with their DHC-2 Beaver utility aircraft that was and still is the one of the greatest bush aircraft ever built. And so if you are on to a good thing then being an aircraft manufacturer is that what you usually do with the next aircraft is to build a bigger, faster and better one than the original success story. This is the original DHC-2 Beaver (by Soul Made Simulations) and this is the size of the first aircraft and the blueprint for the larger DHC-3 Otter. The design work on the "King Beaver…

Update Review - Boeing 707-320 by Mike Wilson After devouring FlyJSim's excellent Boeing 727 Series and Boeing 732 baby Boeing then your Classic 60's appetite for these incredible aircraft will still want feeding. You love the feel of aircraft from the Golden Age of Jet travel and one aircraft (well three actually with the Vickers VC10 and DC-8) represented the era with sheer dominance, these were the great years of global domination and speed without all that earth warming and noise pollution restrictions that we are well regulated with today. The FlyJSim B727 and B723 were only medium range machines, if you wanted to go global then you needed the Boeing 707.…

Aircraft Review : Extra 330SC by Vertigo Design Fun! Remember that... Well the PC (Politically Correct) Police have already stuffed up Christmas... sorry Festive Season (Happy Holidays is now so last year) and that it has got to us so much that the American's voted in Trump and us the English gave up completely on Europe or is that everything? But back to Fun... I take X-Plane quite seriously, too seriously I think that sometimes you just need to brighten up a little and let go. See the world from a different perspective, so how about this... No it is not a photoshopped image but a completely inve…

Aircraft Review : Fournier RF-5B by Avia71 Motorised gliders make the hard part the easy part... that is just getting up into the air. And once up there it is nice to be able to position yourself quickly at the right point to collect the full potential of those lifting updrafts. So you don't then have to rely on a puller plane to get you up in the air, and if you get bored you can easily power up and head on home. The disadvantages are of course the weight you have to carry around with you, it is not a pure gliding experience par excellence, but in reality the disadvantages outweigh the purity of the sport as this versatility makes the aircraft easier to run…

Aircraft Review : Douglas DC-8 by Wilson's Aircraft The global air transport system we take for granted today was created by basically two very similar designs in the very late fifties. History will always record that the De Havilland Comet was the first real fast turbine powered global aircraft, but the aircraft didn't create the infrastructure of the mass transport of passengers on a global scale, those aircraft were the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8. The DC-8 was always in the shadow of the pioneering 707, but in time the DC-8 lasted longer, flew faster (a test Douglas DC-8 aircraft broke the sound barrier at Mach 1.012 (660 mph/1,062 km/h) while in a con…

Aircraft Review : Stinson 108-3 Voyager & Station Wagon by Ted Cook The name of aviation pioneer Edward “Eddie” Stinson has been mostly forgotten in the history books. Mostly because he died flying in 1932 while on a sales trip at Chicago, Illinois at only the age of 38 years old. But it would be a mistake to not discredit Stinson's contribution to aviation. His first four seater biplane Stinson SB-1 Detroiter was the first fixed-wing aircraft with a heated, soundproof cabin, electric starter, and wheel brakes. Powered by either a Wright J-5 (SB-1) or Wright J-6 (SB-1D), the Detroiter became quickly an overnight success. The SM-6000 Airliner wa…