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Aircraft Review : Pottier 130UL by Hydroz.net


Adrian

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The Pottier 130UL is an Ultra-Light aircraft designed by a French company, Pottier. The 130UL comes as a kit and can only be assembled by acquiring the blueprints from Pottier.
 
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Where to get it:  Pottier 130UL at the .org store
Download size: 40Mb
Price: $14.95
X-Plane requirement: X-Plane 9.70 or X-Plane 10.
Designer: Hydroz.net
 
 
Specifications

Weight: 600lb
Engine: Jabiru 80hp
Stall speeds: 40knots (1 notch of flaps), 35 knots (2 notches of flaps)
Cruising Speed: 90-95knots
Take-off distance: 250ft (80m)
 
First Impressions

 

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At only 620lb, the Pottier is considered an Ultra-Light aircraft. In the US it would be considered a Light Sport Aircraft (1300lb or under) but it is not distributed there.

It is a simple aircraft with just enough room for 2 people. It doesn't not come with advanced avionics, just with the basic set of instruments you need to fly an aircraft.

 

The 3D model includes a pilot and an animated canopy:

 

The cockpit is also very simple but this version includes a Garmin 430:

 

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On Screen Checklists

 

A nice feature of the Pottier is the ability to display the checklists at any given time.

 

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The notebook can be dragged and placed anywhere on the screen. It can also be shown in the cockpit or external views.

 

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The checklist includes recommended procedure for:

Pre-Flight, Start, take-off, landing, cruising, switch off and emergency procedures

 

This is a great feature. You do not need to read the pdf manual when you fly, you can simply click on the icon and read the checklists as you go.

 

Flying the Pottier 130

 

Flying the Pottier is what you would expect with any Ultra-Light:

Short take-off distance, need to gain speed before you climb, pay attention to the climb rate, do not overspeed and  pay attention  to the wind.

 

At only 620 lbs (dry weight) the Pottier is a small ultra-light so you have to be even more careful as the aircraft is easily influenced by weather and pilot input.

An ultra-light which is small is less forgiving than a general aviation plane like a Cessna 172.

 

The plane responds quickly to any change in controls. It gives you the feel of a light aircraft.

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Overall the flight model feels very true and conforms to the published data.

It takes off and climbs as a plane of this size should.

 

If you need a challenge, try to set the wind over 15knots and try some landings!

 

I recommend to fly the Pottier with all X-Plane realism settings set at 100% realism: Damage enabled and 0% augmentation in the joysticks menu.

 

 

Liveries

 

The Pottier 130UL comes with seven different liveries

 

 

Pottier 130 Virtual Cockpit

 

It is a no-frills panel that includes all the basic instruments you need to fly an ultra light aircraft

 

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Conclusion

 

The Pottier 130UL is a very pleasant aircraft and a nice surprise. Certainly it does not include the systems or the avionics of bigger planes but it's not supposed to!

This is the way an ultra-light aircraft is supposed to be: Simple design, yet challenging to fly.

With this in mind, as long as you do not expect something different than a ultra-light aircraft, you will enjoy this plane.

Hydroz.net has established themselves as a specialist for ultra light aircraft (see their website for other models) and has done a great job on the Pottier 130UL.

 

Where to get it:  Pottier 130UL at the .org store
Download size: 40Mb
Price: $14.95
X-Plane requirement: X-Plane 9.70 or X-Plane 10.
Designer: Hydroz.net

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