My flying style changed since PNW!

[ba43]

Since getting NA Blue PNW up an running. I've noticed a big change in my FSX flying habits. Before PNW, well let's change that, before I bought the FTX Australia DVD, I felt like I needed to get wherever I was going, quickly.

In FTX Australia, I used a fast moving Kingair 350 to explore down under. With so much ground to cover, the Kingair was great down under. Since I was on a trip to each of the OZx airstrips. I was able to see a lot and get up and down at all the little airstrips.

Before that, using FS9, I was usually bush flying in Misty or Tongass Fjords using a Carenado Cessna 206 Amphibian. Slower and able to get wet made it perfect. I will probably use that one a lot here in the PNW.

But since PNW, I really want to slow it WAY down and fly just over the treetops. I want to fly so I can really see the attention to detail. The default FSX Piper Cub just seems perfect for this. I'm really enjoying this little beauty a lot.

It's nice to be able to just enjoy the experience instead of watching the GPS and counting down the time to get to my next destination. In a hurry and missing what's passing by.

Any recommendations on the Flight Replica Cub packages?? FSAddon has a Cub too I believe. Others?

Thanks, just wanted to share my paradigm shift with you. It's a blast.

Brad 

[teecee]

Try a chopper. Magic for low and slow. In all my years of simming I was never able to master the helicopter, but now that I have, (well, almost have) at the insistence of Aussiecop, Aussieguy and a couple of others, I realize that there is no better aircraft for looking at the scenery. I found that the default Bell B206 Jetranger was the best beginners chopper.. give it a try. Teecee.

[Neil Hill]

Hi TeeCee,

And there's a helipad at ALL  hard surfaced (sealed) airports in PNW.  I put them there at Holgers request.  Enjoy

Cheers, Neil

[alexf]

If you like the default Cub, then you have to get the A2A Piper Cub. One of the best sim planes ever made. You wont go back to the default Cub again.

Another good plane is the new L-19 Bird Dog by Sibwings.

If you prefer helicopters for low and slow, then the Dodosim 206 has no equal, in freeware or payware.

[Patrick Scharnowski]

But since PNW, I really want to slow it WAY down and fly just over the treetops. I want to fly so I can really see the attention to detail. The default FSX Piper Cub just seems perfect for this. I'm really enjoying this little beauty a lot.

I certainly can relate. That's the reason why I did a flight with the ultralight recently. It's just perfect to look at the scenery: an almost unobstructed view in all directions and with a top speed of 70mph. In fact, when you guys get your hold on Darrington and Twin Oaks, the ultralight trike is the perfect choice to go exploring, with a helicopter like the Dodo only placing second (it's geat for the job as well,  but in the end there is too much machine between you and the scenery )

[robmw]

Hi,

I purchased the FR Super Cub for the express purpose of exploring PNW (and other bush sceneries). To my eye it's well modelled and textured and by all accounts it flies realistically as a real Super Cub pilot had input to the flight models.

Cruising speed is easily 80-90 knots so it covers the ground well but can also get into (and out of!) some amazingly tight places. If you have ever seen the Cub Driver video and website (cubdriver749er.com) you can try this stuff out in FSX in the FR Super Cub.

I don't have the FSAddon Super Cub. They sell quality products so I'm sure it's good but comparison of screenshots and other opinions from forum participants I trust gave FR the edge for me and I'm very happy with my purchase.

Rob

[Wolter van der Spoel]

another couple of sweet little aircraft suitable for the low and slow are Ant's Tiger Moth and Dave Garwood's Auster J1 Autocrat both freeware but payware quality

[Mark Abdey]

The RealAir Scout is another quality package, and perfect for PNW.  Helo's are without doubt the best way to explore, and the defaults are nice and easy to fly [landing is my problem  ], plus can look good with some of the wonderful ozx repaints that are available for them.

[Guest bliksimpie]

another couple of sweet little aircraft suitable for the low and slow are Ant's Tiger Moth and Dave Garwood's Auster J1 Autocrat both freeware but payware quality

They are awesome...and sure beat some payware !!

[Alan_A]

If you like the default Cub, then you have to get the A2A Piper Cub. One of the best sim planes ever made. You wont go back to the default Cub again.

Another good plane is the new L-19 Bird Dog by Sibwings.

If you prefer helicopters for low and slow, then the Dodosim 206 has no equal, in freeware or payware.

Yes, what he said.  The A2A Cub has ruined just about all other GA payware for me.  An extraordinary experience and it fits perfectly in PNW - the only a/c I've flown there so far.

Best,

Alan

[caribou]

If you like the default Cub, then you have to get the A2A Piper Cub. One of the best sim planes ever made. You wont go back to the default Cub again.

Another good plane is the new L-19 Bird Dog by Sibwings.

If you prefer helicopters for low and slow, then the Dodosim 206 has no equal, in freeware or payware.

Yes, what he said.  The A2A Cub has ruined just about all other GA payware for me.  An extraordinary experience and it fits perfectly in PNW - the only a/c I've flown there so far.

Best,

Alan

What he said and what he said (both)!  I also bought the FR Super Cub Classic Package for the bush version only.  The FR is good but the A2A is truly exceptional and amazing in all respects.  I do like the FR VC and flying from there but the exterior graphics are not to my liking.  But, I do recommend it for the VC and handling etc.  Lots of fun to do STOL take offs and landings.  The A2A Cub and the FR Super are really 2 different aircraft that fill two different purposes for me.  The A2A Cub is super realistic, very immersive and great to look at and fly with truly realistic engine and other sounds .  Also the optional AccuSim adds lots to it.  It's only problem is that it is a slow plane with poor climbing chacteristics - but thats because its a J3 Cub - no fault of A2A's.  Once again , a fantastci sim plane to fly.

If you can, I'd suggest getting both.  If you only want one, then I'd go for the A2A.

Hope this helps    Howard

[John Dow]

Surprised no-one has mentioned the default Robinson R22.  Easier to master than the Bell when learning and has almost unlimited visibility.  The following is for the VC only.

A couple of tips:  Use the horizontal bar compass in the windscreen as an attitude indicator.  As you increase power and take off just stick forward enough to get that under the horizon a few inches.  The chopper should start moving forward reasonably smartly and will fly more or less like a light aircraft with good forward speed.  You can turn by moving the stick left or right as in a fixed-wing, and you can also increase the rate of turn exponentially by kicking the rudder to increase the turn rate.

To fly fast keep the nose well down and the power fairly well up and use instruments to balance for level flight.  With no change in power, if you raise the nose the chopper will climb, and similarly if you lower the nose too much it will descend. 

When it's time to slow up and descend, you need to combine raising the nose to slow up with lowering the power to prevent climbing.  A good balanced control will see you raising the nose quite high and reducing power more than half, which will quickly bleed off speed and start a descent.

As the speed drops below 30 knots or so the critical phase begins, maintaining some airspeed is crucial, (keeping that compass right on the horizon will generally result in maintaining current airspeed) using power to aim for the landing point and during the final phase juggling nose up and power to slow the chopper to 10 kts or so close to the ground.

I still find it difficult to stop going backwards after I have started a hover ready to land, as the visual clues aren't all that good at alerting to the transition between forward momentum and allowing the nose up to stay a bit too long before settling down.  Also sidewinds and the like will likely make a carefully planned hover drift to one side etc.

Setting the aircraft rtealism to Easy while learning is probably a good idea as well )

[Griphos]

All good suggestions here.  Just got the Dodo myself and haven't flown it yet, so can't comment.  The R22 has great visibility and is pretty simple to master (except perhaps for landing).  The Trike is wonderful as well, unless you want to get somewhere.

I have of the ones mentioned most:

A2A Cub with Accusim

SibWings Bird Dog

Real Air Scout (first add-on plane)

Ant's great Tiger Moth (superb freeware...I sent him money for it...it's good!)

That sweet little Auster J1 (perhaps not visually up to the others on this list, but superb visibility while in it and a real hoot to fly into little, tiny, sidehill grass strips.  I can run faster than it flies at stall with full flaps.  Wish its compass worked!)

So, there's lots of great planes for you.  I like all of these, and fly them all a lot.  But I'll have to agree with everyone else so far that the A2A Cub is in a league by itself.  I've flown Cubs and Champs and a Scout (once) and a couple of other low and slow planes in RL, and the A2A Cub comes the closest to being in a real plane as I think it's possible to get in a sim.  And, oh man, the slip down into a short field in that thing!

[Dexter Dog]

another couple of sweet little aircraft suitable for the low and slow are Ant's Tiger Moth and Dave Garwood's Auster J1 Autocrat both freeware but payware quality

I will second that! 

[Matt Tomkins]

Ant deserves donations for that aircraft. We get spoilt with this sort of freeware.

[realatp]

If you like the default Cub, then you have to get the A2A Piper Cub. One of the best sim planes ever made. You wont go back to the default Cub again.

Another good plane is the new L-19 Bird Dog by Sibwings.

If you prefer helicopters for low and slow, then the Dodosim 206 has no equal, in freeware or payware.

Yes, what he said.  The A2A Cub has ruined just about all other GA payware for me.  An extraordinary experience and it fits perfectly in PNW - the only a/c I've flown there so far.

Best,

Alan

AHAHAHAH ruined your experience, I love that.