Dominic Smith Posted July 28, 2022 Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 Aircraft Review: Magni M-16 and M-22 Gyrocopters Introduction Hello, and welcome to my second review here at X-PlaneReviews. This time around, and quite a departure from my previous scenery review, I will be sharing my thoughts on an autogyro which I have been testing out for the last couple of weeks. The package in question includes the Magni M-16 and M-22 by 3Dreal. The M-16 Tandem and M-22 Voyager are two single-engine two-seat gyroplanes equipped with a fixed front tricycle landing gear which can transport two crew members in a semi-fairing fuselage. As I’m a huge fan of low and slow aircraft, I was eager to see what this package offered, so with my order placed, I was ready to rock and roll… Purchase & Installation Once purchased from the Org store, it was just a simple case of downloading the provided zip file. This weighed in at just under 250MB, so not a bad size considering two models are being offered. With the file extracted, the package comes to 1.5GB, so quite a considerable increase, but…don’t forget, this also includes two additional sceneries. Yes, you heard correctly, if having two autogyros wasn’t enough, the developer has also provided sceneries of Chatelair airfield and Cortina d’Ampezzo airport, both situated in the Alps. Adding both the models and the included sceneries was a doddle, as according to the documentation, all I had to do was copy the two autogyros into X-Plane’s Aircraft folder, and the sceneries into…you guessed it, my Custom Scenery folder (making sure they were placed in the right order in my scenery_packs.ini). With these tasks done, I was ready to start X-Plane… First Impressions Having loaded up X-Plane, I decided that it would be only fitting to use one of the included two sceneries to begin this review, this being the larger Cortina d’Ampezzo airport. Due to its location, the airfield makes for an ideal starting point in which to explore this beautiful mountain region of Europe. The airport itself is nicely done and includes several custom buildings. There are numerous people situated around the airport, along with varying degrees of clutter. When used with simHeaven’s X-Europe and decent ortho imagery, the result is quite pleasing to the eye. M-16 Tandem Trainer & M-22 Voyager Note: For this review, I will be concentrating on the M-16 Tandem Trainer. The included M-22 is a touring variant with baggage space and increased endurance, but apart from that, it is basically the same as the M-16, as you can see from the images below. Moving on to the M-16 Tandem Trainer, and it’s clear to see that this is where the developer spent most of their time on, and rightly so. The exterior 3D modelling of the autogyro is some of the best I have seen in X-Plane. Considering its size and relatively simple shape, the detailing is impressive, especially where the engine is concerned. The power unit is composed of a piston engine (turbocharged) 115hp Rotax 914UL, and it looks fantastic, with even the smallest details being modelled. The high level of detailing continues to the main fuselage section, with all control surfaces, rotors, winglets, etc also being modelled. As with the 3D engine, the detailing of the rotor also includes the rotor head, rods, gear, speed sensor, and looks highly impressive, even when viewed close up. Notable animations, away from the obvious, include the opening and closing of the baggage compartments, and this is done via handles on the hatch. M-16 Tandem Trainer Interior The interior of the M-16 Tandem Trainer is again nicely laid out, with the main instrument display being its standout feature. You may be thinking (just as I did) that due to its relative simplicity, the M-16 would have a rather basic instrument cluster, and to a degree, you’d be right, but it’s not as simple as you might have first imagined. As well as your usual standard set of instruments and dials, you also get a FLYdat (monitors the Rotax engine via sensors), plus on the M-22, a rather handy Garmin 530. Altogether, for such a small aircraft, there are plenty of levers, switches, and buttons to keep you occupied during your flight! On the left and to the side of the cockpit, you’ll find an animated throttle lever, brake lever, rotor trim switch, pre-rotation lever, pitch and roll stick, mixture lever, and a rotor brake lever. These all have varying levels of animation included and are relatively easy to access. Texturing is done to a reasonably high standard and whilst certainly not the best I have seen, is perfectly adequate for this type of aircraft. Metallic, plastic and fibreglass components are all distinguishable from each other, with my only real complaint being that they are slightly low in resolution. Overall, sitting in the cockpit of the M-16 is a highly enjoyable and authentic experience. Flight Model I’ve never actually flown in an autogyro before, so I have no idea what their real-world flight characteristics are like, but if their performance is anything like the M-16, then it’s no wonder people enjoy flying them! I must say, it did take quite a few attempts to learn how to control the model, but once I got a rough idea of how things worked, I found the aircraft remarkably stable in the air and easy to fly. Taking off in the autogyro is probably the most difficult phase of flight to master, as is landing, but with practice, I can see it becoming almost second nature. I would advise against using the mouse and keyboard for your control inputs as it will only cause frustration. In my opinion, a dedicated flight controller makes the most sense, as it allows you to control more things at once. So yes, whilst the M-16 looks simplistic, be prepared to spend some time learning how to control the model. Sounds Only a few sound samples are included in the package, but what there are, worked well. I observed no engine looping and at no time did the drone of the engine get in the way of my enjoyment. Documentation Contained within the package are three high-quality PDF documents, the first of which covers the model in X-Plane, whilst the other two are related to the real M-16. I found all three to be very helpful as they guided me through the initial stages of operating the autogyro. Again, considering the relatively simplistic nature of the model, I was pleasantly surprised by their overall quality. Conclusion This was an interesting package to review as I was unfamiliar with both the autogyros and the airports contained within. However, having now had time to try out both thoroughly, I now feel I am reasonably qualified to provide an accurate summing up of each. Starting with the M-16 Tandem Trainer and I must say I was impressed with how this model both looked and performed. Initially, I was unsure of how I would get on with the model, especially considering my lack of knowledge or flight experience regarding autogyros. However, after only a few flights, my doubts and fears disappeared, as I found the M-16 incredibly enjoyable. I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a learning curve involved, but you know what they say…the best things come to those who wait. So, what about the two included sceneries in the package? Well, Cortina d’Ampezzo airport is certainly the most impressive of the two, not only by looks but also by its location. In fact, most of my flights in the M-16 Tandem Trainer were from this airport, so this should give you some idea. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this package as it offered something quite different to what I am used to. In many ways I found this to be quite refreshing, as it provided a challenge that other larger aircraft would perhaps fail to meet. As a result, if like me you fancy trying and exploring something different, then I highly recommend this little addition by 3Dreal. ___________________ The Magni M-16 and M-22 Gyrocopters package by 3DReal is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here: Magni M-16 and M-22 Gyrocopters Price at time of writing US$21.00 Requirements: X-Plane 11 Windows, Mac or Linux 4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended Download Size: 250 MB Current Version: 1.0 (August 11th 2021) Review System Specifications: Windows 10 64 Bit Intel Core i5-3350p CPU @ 3.10 GHz 16GB RAM NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti Aircraft Review by Paul Mort 28th July 2022 Copyright©2022: X-Plane Reviews (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) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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