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Aircraft Review: MiG-15 by MLADG


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Aircraft Review: MiG-15 by MLADG

 

By Stéphane Tolédo-Paul


Mikoyan-Gurevitch, (MiG) founded in 1939, is renowned for its production of famous fighter aircraft, such as the MiG-1 and 3, MiG-21 "Lancer", MiG-23 "Flogger", MiG-29 "Fulcrum", and of course the MiG-15bis "Fagot" and MiG-17 "Fresco" which is the focus of this review. 

 

The MiG-15 was one of the first mass-produced swept-wing jets, making its maiden flight on 30th December 1947, and was introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1949. More than 13,000 airframes were produced, with another 4,200 manufactured under license. More than forty countries have (at one time or another) operated this aircraft, mainly those from what was then known as the Warsaw Pact. The MiG-15 took part in the Korean War where its performance impressed the Americans, who, with their first generation of jet fighters, were unable to compete with the aircraft. It was not until the introduction of the North-American F-86 Sabre that aerial combat was finally balanced. 

 

Both the MiG-15 and 17 were equipped with a Klimov VK-1 engine of 5,950 lb of thrust, with an afterburner fitted in the MiG-17. Two Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 23 mm cannons constituted its main armament with eighty shells each and a Nudelman N-37 37 mm cannon with forty shells. With an empty weight of 3681 kg, it carried a maximum fuel load of 1420 litres for a maximum takeoff weight of 5044 kg and had a top speed of Mach 0,9 at 3000 m, (9843 ft), with its cruising speed of Mach 0.69. 

 

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Purchase & Installation
MLADG’s MiG-15 package is priced at US$19.95, with the downloaded file weighing in at 479 MB. Once the product has been downloaded, it’s then a simple task of unzipping the file and transferring it to your X-Plane 12 "Aircraft" folder. The X-Plane models presented in the package include a MiG-15bis, in civilian and military versions, a MiG-17, also in a civilian and military guise, and as a bonus, a red Yakovlev Yak-3, which while nice to have, is not the focus of this review. All the models mentioned have variants for both X-Plane 12 and 11, which is a nice touch. 


Documentation consists of a PDF document covering each of the models included and contains information related to technical characteristics, production numbers, armament etc., as well as instructions on how to operate the aircraft. The latter is highly welcomed, as the instruments for the military versions (for realism), are not in English. Personally, I have no issue with this type of layout, but it may take some people a little time to get used to. 

 

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Exterior Model
The fuselages of both the MiG-15 and 17 are very well modelled, both proportionally and in terms of realism. For example, finer details which could easily have been “dumbed down” in terms of modelling, have been reproduced in intricate detail. An example of this is the landing light, the various antennas, pitot tubes, and the undercarriage. 

 

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In terms of liveries, I found the variants contained in the package to be both varied and well-chosen, with even an American bare metal variant included (complete with a USAF insignia). The metallic shine of this particular livery is well done, and looks fantastic, especially with the right lighting. Personally, I like a bit more weathering on my liveries, particularly with an aircraft of this vintage. However, even with that taken into consideration, the result is still visually satisfying.

 

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With each livery, both the panels and rivets, albeit discreetly, are visible when viewed up close, which is something I really enjoyed seeing, as it added an additional touch of realism to the models. Also, and this can be subjective, when viewing the aircraft on the tarmac, both models exhibited a degree of heaviness or weight, in other words, they didn’t float a few centimetres in the air, but rather gravity pulled them down, which again, added to their authenticity. 


Cockpit & Functionality
Upon entering the cockpit for the first time, I was struck by just how well-modelled it was. The detailing here was as good if not better than what I had observed when viewing the exterior of the aircraft and exhibited a high degree of weathering on the canopy and instruments. The numerous gauges surrounding me were easy to read, with their text remaining sharp even when viewed up close. I felt some of the backgrounds of the dials could have been done to a higher standard, but overall, I was extremely impressed with what was on offer.    

 

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Many of the controls found in the cockpit are manipulable, with the military versions being equipped with a gunsight. In the civilian variants, this is replaced by a box that controls the autopilot. While this may not be truly accurate, it is nevertheless, simple, and highly effective. Also included was a kneepad, activated by clicking on the right side of the cockpit. When opened, it provided both an aircraft checklist for the various phases of flight, plus help with setting radio frequencies.

 

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Flight Characteristics
The MiGs are very pleasant to taxi, easily controllable on the ground, and offer good forward visibility. This makes your short trip to the runway an enjoyable experience (weather permitting). Takeoff, when done correctly, is, for the most part, nonevent, with the only exception, of having to wait for the engine to spool up. If you’re used to flying modern jets, this can be quite a revelation.  

 

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Once airborne, the MiGs are enjoyable to control, with power delivery being smooth during all phases of flight. Both the MiG-15 and 17 react extremely well to pilot input and will easily do rolls and loops without a hint of laziness, which shouldn’t come as any surprise when you consider their combat history. During the cruise phase, stability is excellent, with small trim adjustments being both smooth and easily managed. 

 

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Landing is probably the hardest aspect of the flight, not because of the stability of the aircraft, but because of the delay in the power output (requires a degree of forward-thinking). As such, go-arounds are to be expected during your first few flights, but this becomes progressively easier once you learn the flight characteristics. Speed brakes are highly efficient at reducing your velocity, so with the right amount of flaps, you should reach the threshold of the runway without too much difficulty. Once down, it’s a simple case of applying the brakes and taxiing to your assigned parking area.  

 

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Sounds
The FMOD sound samples of the MiGs are very convincing, especially the immersion they create whilst in the cockpit. An example of this is the rolling sounds as the aircraft moves along the runway, as well as the retractions of the wheels or the deployment of the flaps. There is also the air flowing around the fuselage as well as the jet engine, which is always audible, but which is never intrusive. Opening and closing the canopy will change the volume of sounds which was a feature I really appreciated. The sounds of the numerous controls and switches in the cockpit were realistic enough, but I was slightly disappointed with the sound of the gun, as it felt slightly muffled in my opinion. Overall, the sound on offer was on par with the rest of the product. 

 

Performance
The package worked very well on my hardware, which is hardly cutting-edge by today’s standards. I experienced no slowdowns or freezes during my testing, and everything simply worked as it should (well done to the developer).  

 

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Conclusion
To conclude, this is a remarkably interesting product, which for a relatively modest price will offer you a variety of extremely well-made and enjoyable models, all of which perform faithfully (within simulator limitations) to that of the original aircraft. Russian aviation is a bit of a rarity on the X-Plane platform, with the recent current events not particularly helping the situation. As such, MLADG’s MiG-15 package is highly welcomed, as this is an aircraft rich in history. Yes, it has a few flaws, but these never detract from the overall flying experience. When you factor in the low purchase price of the models (including the bonus of having the Yak-3), then this is a package which rightly deserves its place in any X-Plane hangar!

_______________________________

 

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MiG-15 by MLADG is available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:

 

MiG-15

Priced at US$19.95

 

General features:

  • Detailed 3D interactive cockpit - detailed outside model
  • Instrumentation based on real counterparts
  • In-flight refuel possible
  • JATO can be used for short fields

 

Civil version features:

  • Western instrumentation (altitude in feet, speed in knots)
  • Equipped with western avionics: VOR/DME
  • Removed military equipment
  • English labels available

 

Military version features:

  • Metrical instrumentation
  • Gunsight available
  • Can be loaded with drop tanks, bombs, guns

 

Requirements

X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, MAC or Linux
Support: Support forum for the MiG-15
Current version: 2301 (February 7th, 2023)

 

Review by Stéphane Tolédo-Paul

21st Feb 2023

Copyright©2022: X-Plane Reviews

 

Review System Specifications: 

Windows 10, Intel i5 8400 2.8GHz, 16GB, Nvidia GTX 1060

 

(Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions) All Rights Reserved

 

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Hello,

 

Thank you very much for this very detailled and accurate presentation for such an emblematic plane.

 

I have a question, that is very important for VR users, are the yokes grabable (green section visible on yoke stick when we activate the "Show Clickable Zone On Instrument" knob in the "view" menu) in this plane.

 

If yes it means that VR manipulators can be used to grab yoke in VR making the plane well usable without using OTAS and therefore very immersive.

 

Best regards

J.M.

 

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