Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The Jenny family was developed as a military trainer, with two open cockpits, braced biplane wings and conventional landing gear. Surplus aircraft helped carry flying into civilian life after the war, appearing at displays and offering rides across North America. Its cockpit belongs to a much earlier era than the touring aircraft that followed. The MSFS documentation also identifies convenience changes to ground steering.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗Letters home record the work of learning to fly
Crawford entered aviation as a ground officer, with maintenance and other duties occupying his days. When flight training opened to ground officers, he applied immediately. His letters home then became detailed accounts of a demanding new skill, recording mistakes and revisiting each flight as he tried to improve. He admitted that an instructor’s presence gave him confidence during unfamiliar manoeuvres.
Letters and journal interpreted by his grandson William Crawford Woods. JN-4 training at Kelly Field in 1918; the original solo entry is partly lost to insect damage.
Air & Space / Smithsonian · Read more ↗A documented convenience change for ground handling
The MSFS 2024 guide adds rudder-controlled ground steering for playability. Toe brakes are omitted; the simulated tailskid provides drag.
JN-4 Jenny · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Candler Field Flying Club YouTube · 8 min ·
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny Flight, March 2016
Cockpit footage from a restored 1918 Jenny flying at Peach State Aerodrome.
Real aircraft · Curtiss JN-4 Jenny
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Curtiss JN-4 Jenny
The Jenny family was developed as a military trainer, with two open cockpits, braced biplane wings and conventional landing gear. Surplus aircraft helped carry flying into civilian life after the war, appearing at displays and offering rides across North America.
Its cockpit belongs to a much earlier era than the touring aircraft that followed. The MSFS documentation also identifies convenience changes to ground steering. Those changes are adaptations for the simulator.
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny
Aircraft type designators
A model-specific ICAO or FAA designator has not been confirmed in the references reviewed for this aircraft.
History & design
A touring replica takes shape through a community project
Collins describes how comparison with original drawings turned an intended repair into a largely new Jenny replica. Students helped build and finish it, while a modern engine, brakes, radio and pitch trim supported travel to public events.
AOPA Pilot · Flying Miss Jenny ↗Friends of Jenny project reported in 2016; not an original engine configuration
Pilot accounts
Letters home record the work of learning to fly
Crawford entered aviation as a ground officer, with maintenance and other duties occupying his days. When flight training opened to ground officers, he applied immediately. His letters home then became detailed accounts of a demanding new skill, recording mistakes and revisiting each flight as he tried to improve.
He admitted that an instructor’s presence gave him confidence during unfamiliar manoeuvres. Quiet instructors could also leave him wondering how well he was doing. By the end of October, the deadline for his first solo weighed heavily on him. Much of the following journal entry has been eaten away, but a surviving word records a celebration. Later flying brought enough confidence for him to become an instructor himself.
Letters and journal interpreted by his grandson William Crawford Woods. JN-4 training at Kelly Field in 1918; the original solo entry is partly lost to insect damage.
Read the full account · Air & Space / Smithsonian ↗Wind, wires and a surprising movement of the rudder
Tracy took the controls after Robin Reid lifted Frank Schelling’s restored Jenny from the grass at Schellville. The view of wooden struts, vibrating wires and fluttering flags made it difficult to look inside at the instruments. Wind noise and the air on his face became particularly vivid parts of the experience.
During the flight, pressure on a rudder pedal seemed to be an instructor’s demonstration. With no intercom between the cockpits, Tracy could not ask immediately. Reid later explained that he had not touched the controls: the movement had come from the aircraft itself. The short outing ended with Reid landing and the tailskid dragging through the grass. Tracy reluctantly climbed out, leaving the next visitors their turn.
Around the Pattern, February 2010. First-person flight in Frank Schelling’s restored 1918 JN-4H with Robin Reid instructing; the author publishes under the name Tracy.
Read the full account · Around the Pattern ↗Affection for the Jenny comes with respect for its limitations
After watching the owner make the first circuit, Davisson took his turn in the Jenny. Its slow climb initially made the trees ahead seem uncomfortably close. In the bumpy air, he found that keeping the aircraft where he wanted it required substantial and very unequal effort across the controls.
The approach gave him another lesson in the aircraft’s character. Hand signals from the front cockpit called for a lower nose, and he later added power to avoid arriving short. His first touchdown bounced before he settled into a better landing. The encounter left him admiring the pilots who had worked and performed in Jennies, while questioning the nostalgia that could make their aircraft’s shortcomings disappear from the story.
Author’s reprint of a mid-1970s Air Progress report. OX-5-powered JN-4D flown with its owner in Minnesota; a separate flight from the Hisso Jenny described by Tracy.
Read the full account · Budd Davisson / Airbum ↗An early departure helps a travelling history lesson reach its audience
Walker described Miss Jenny as rewarding but demanding, with the large wings making every rising current noticeable. Early departures offered calmer air as well as the pleasure of a dawn flight. A trip across Kentucky in 2015 used an intermediate fuel stop and reached the destination before the wind became stronger.
The flying depended on a team travelling with tools, spare parts and displays explaining the aircraft’s history. For Walker, arriving at an airshow was an opportunity to share that history with people who might otherwise see it only in a museum. He remembered strangers following the unusual biplane by car and visitors bringing their own family stories. Those encounters helped justify the effort of keeping the replica on the road and in the air.
Mike Collins’s 2016 interview. Friends of Jenny replica with a GMC V-8, brakes, radio and pitch trim; these modifications distinguish it from an original JN-4.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024JN-4 Jenny
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
JN-4 Jenny
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020JN-4 Jenny
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
JN-4 Jenny
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
A documented convenience change for ground handlingJN-4 Jenny · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The MSFS 2024 guide adds rudder-controlled ground steering for playability. Toe brakes are omitted; the simulated tailskid provides drag.
MSFS 2024 manual · page 11
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗The walkaround begins outside at a ramp positionJN-4 Jenny · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The 2024 walkaround has selectable pins for checking surfaces and tyres. The leather cockpit surround is the documented entry point.
MSFS 2024 manual · page 5
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗A hidden phone can still operate the radioJN-4 Jenny · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The cockpit phone provides radio controls, heading and indicated airspeed. Clicking its bracket hides it while leaving the radios working.
MSFS 2024 manual · page 7
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗A documented convenience change for ground handlingJN-4 Jenny · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The MSFS 2020 guide adds rudder-controlled ground steering for playability. Toe brakes are omitted; the simulated tailskid provides drag.
MSFS 2020 manual v2 · page 7
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗A hidden phone can still operate the radioJN-4 Jenny · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The cockpit phone provides radio controls, heading and indicated airspeed. Clicking its bracket hides it while leaving the radios working.
MSFS 2020 manual v2 · page 5
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗The checklist can point out a controlJN-4 Jenny · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The top-screen checklist menu includes an eye icon that moves the view to the relevant control and an option to mark an item complete.
MSFS 2020 manual v2 · page 7
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Pilot account
Letters home record the work of learning to flyLetters and journal interpreted by his grandson William Crawford Woods. JN-4 training at Kelly Field in 1918; the original solo entry is partly lost to insect damage.
Crawford entered aviation as a ground officer, with maintenance and other duties occupying his days. When flight training opened to ground officers, he applied immediately. His letters home then became detailed accounts of a demanding new skill, recording mistakes and revisiting each flight as he tried to improve. He admitted that an instructor’s presence gave him confidence during unfamiliar manoeuvres. Quiet instructors could also leave him wondering how well he was doing.
Louis Crawford
Air & Space / Smithsonian · Read the source ↗Wind, wires and a surprising movement of the rudderAround the Pattern, February 2010. First-person flight in Frank Schelling’s restored 1918 JN-4H with Robin Reid instructing; the author publishes under the name Tracy.
Tracy took the controls after Robin Reid lifted Frank Schelling’s restored Jenny from the grass at Schellville. The view of wooden struts, vibrating wires and fluttering flags made it difficult to look inside at the instruments. Wind noise and the air on his face became particularly vivid parts of the experience. During the flight, pressure on a rudder pedal seemed to be an instructor’s demonstration. With no intercom between the cockpits, Tracy could not ask immediately.
Tracy
Around the Pattern · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
JN4_Jenny_FS24_ManualMicrosoft / aircraft developers Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Curtiss JN JennyWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1030672134 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoft MSFS 2020 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftDeveloper documentation
JN4_Jenny_MSFS_Manual v2Microsoft / aircraft developers · Gathered developer documentationBuilt-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 1 profile choice
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny: The spring supplies the biplane’s selected stick resistance.
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny: The spring supplies the biplane’s selected stick resistance.
Aircraft and simulator scope
- Curtiss JN-4 Jenny · MSFS 2024 · family starting point
- Curtiss JN-4 Jenny · MSFS 2020 · family starting point
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny · Two Microsoft JN-4 Jenny manuals cover the simulator aircraft; the February 2023 version includes an EFB absent from the older description.
The simulator model and controls
The Jenny family was developed as a military trainer, with two open cockpits, braced biplane wings and conventional landing gear. Surplus aircraft helped carry flying into civilian life after the war, appearing at displays and offering rides across North America.
This starting point selects Curtiss JN-4 Jenny. Its aircraft-level settings do not select a particular developer’s custom systems.
How this profile feels
The spring supplies the biplane’s selected stick resistance. Spring resistance builds with the selected airspeed response. A separate aerodynamic term adds speed-dependent control load.
A period cockpit’s equipment and the profile’s trim response are separate descriptions. Valid trim provides the configured pressure relief. Autopilot following is off.
Controls and trim
The Jenny’s two open cockpits and braced biplane wings served military training before surplus aircraft moved into civilian displays and rides. Its sparse period controls remain distinct from the MSFS package’s ground-steering conveniences.
About the values
The gains are normalized profile settings. They describe the chosen effect balance; hand force depends on the device and its output limits. IAS references are tuning values rather than operating limits. Physical acceptance of this revision remains pending.
What the documentation establishes
Two Microsoft JN-4 Jenny manuals cover the simulator aircraft; the February 2023 version includes an EFB absent from the older description.
The manuals describe pulling the stick aft to place the tail skid on the ground. They do not document a complete control linkage or force gradient.
The manual explicitly says toe brakes are absent and identifies the tail skid's ground-friction role.
Documentary review and sources
These decisions describe the documentary basis and remaining gaps for this revision. Aircraft documentation and a starting setting describe different kinds of evidence.
Aircraft and variant
ReviewedThis starting point selects Curtiss JN-4 Jenny. Its aircraft-level settings do not select a particular developer’s custom systems.
Flight controls
ReviewedThe Jenny’s two open cockpits and braced biplane wings served military training before surplus aircraft moved into civilian displays and rides. Its sparse period controls remain distinct from the MSFS package’s ground-steering conveniences.
Trim
Not yet reviewedA period cockpit’s equipment and the profile’s trim response are separate descriptions. Pitch authority 0.3 provides load relief and permitted centre movement; roll authority is 0.
Autopilot and stability
Not yet reviewedAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel.
Equipment
ReviewedGear, flap and ground cues follow the selected settings and available simulator-reported states.
Speeds and limits
Not yet reviewedThe indicated-speed references set the profile response scale; they are separate from aircraft operating limits.
Simulator integration
Not yet reviewedThe profile targets msfs2024, msfs2020. Add-on-specific controls use only the supported references configured by this profile.
Force-feedback settings
Not yet reviewedThe settings define the profile’s effect balance. Device output limits affect physical hand force.
Starting settings and their rationale
These configured values are starting estimates. The explanations describe what each setting controls; physical validation appears separately below.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | Starting value0.64 | What it controls and whyThe spring supplies the biplane’s selected stick resistance. The baseline spring is 0.64. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 32.5 KIAS. |
| Master force gain | Starting value0.85 | What it controls and whyScales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.8 | What it controls and whyThe aerodynamic-load gain is 0.8 with an indicated-speed reference of 65 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value65.0 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Spring response reference speed | Starting value32.5 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.6 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.6 and 0.78, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value0.78 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyRetained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| Trim relief | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Autopilot follow | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel. |
| Autopilot neutral hold | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
All 44 starting settings and their rationale
The settings define the profile’s effect balance. Device output limits affect physical hand force.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | Starting value0.64 | What it controls and whyThe spring supplies the biplane’s selected stick resistance. The baseline spring is 0.64. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 32.5 KIAS. |
| Spring deadband | Starting value0.045 | What it controls and whySets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.8 | What it controls and whyThe aerodynamic-load gain is 0.8 with an indicated-speed reference of 65 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Master force gain | Starting value0.85 | What it controls and whyScales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| QBlend Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows baseline spring strength to rise with indicated airspeed where the control law permits it. |
| QSpring Minimum Factor | Starting value0.5 | What it controls and whySets low-speed spring strength as a fraction of baseline when blending is enabled. One keeps full strength. |
| QSpring Start Knots | Starting value9.1 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed spring blend starts rising. This is a feel threshold, not a flight limit. |
| Spring response reference speed | Starting value32.5 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value65.0 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening gain | Starting value0.15 | What it controls and whyThe high-speed spring-stiffening gain is 0.15. It strengthens the permitted spring response above 32.5 KIAS, with the squared-speed ratio capped at 5. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening limit | Starting value5 | What it controls and whyLimits the squared airspeed ratio used for high-speed spring stiffening; it is not a device-force cap. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.6 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.6 and 0.78, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value0.78 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyRetained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| Trim relief | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Elevator Authority | Starting value0.3 | What it controls and whyA period cockpit’s equipment and the profile’s trim response are separate descriptions. Pitch authority 0.3 provides load relief and permitted centre movement; roll authority is 0. |
| Aileron Authority | Starting value0 | What it controls and whyScales supported roll-trim relief and permitted centre movement. Zero removes roll response. |
| Force Trim Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyEnables local force trim, separate from aircraft-owned trim and add-on integration qualification. |
| GLoad Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows load-factor changes to modify permitted spring laws. Passive fly-by-wire feel can suppress it. |
| Rate Damping Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables rate damping with the configured coefficients and control law. |
| Autopilot follow | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel. |
| Autopilot follow authority | Starting value0.1 | What it controls and whySets admitted AP-follow gain, not a percentage of travel. Runtime ownership and input limits still apply. |
| Autopilot neutral hold | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Autopilot neutral hold strength | Starting value0.6 | What it controls and whySets admitted AP neutral-hold strength; inactive while neutral hold is disabled. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables aerodynamic cues; each still needs nonzero strength and its simulator conditions. |
| Gain | Starting value0.35 | What it controls and whySets stall-buffet strength. Zero removes the cue without changing simulator stalls or warnings. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets high-Mach buffet strength; onset and full-strength thresholds are separate. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets flap buffet at the configured position and speed gates. Flap movement texture is separate. |
| Maximum flap index | Starting value1 | What it controls and whySets the final flap index for detent normalization. UP plus three detents uses maximum index3. |
| Minimum flap index | Starting value1 | What it controls and whySets the first flap detent that admits buffet; this is a handle index, not degrees. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets gear aerodynamic buffet; movement and ground-contact cues are separate. |
| Shaker Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits shaker at supported warning conditions; the switch does not establish aircraft equipment. |
| Stick shaker amplitude | Starting value0.5 | What it controls and whySets triggered shaker strength; inactive while the shaker feature is disabled. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables ground effects; each still needs its own strength and contact or motion telemetry. |
| Gain | Starting value0.4 | What it controls and whySets rolling texture strength, modified by speed, surface and undercarriage configuration. |
| Gain | Starting value0.25 | What it controls and whySets gear-bump texture during ground motion, separate from touchdown impact. |
| Gain | Starting value0.65 | What it controls and whySets landing-impact strength; landing telemetry and response shape determine the pulse. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets reverse-thrust vibration with valid reverser and engine conditions. Zero removes the cue. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables engine cues with nonzero settings and valid running-engine telemetry. |
| Gain | Starting value0.12 | What it controls and whySets estimated engine vibration using configured telemetry and response, not measured cockpit vibration. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables accessory cues with configured strengths and observed accessory movement. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed flap movement; a command without movement does not establish the cue. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed gear movement, separate from aerodynamic and touchdown effects. |
Limits and open questions
- Neither Jenny manual documents cockpit trim. An aircraft-specific trim response remains unsubstantiated by these manuals.
- No autopilot system is documented in the Jenny manuals; an inactive autopilot response remains a conservative configuration choice.
- The EFB displays IAS, but the retained manuals do not establish the starting point's 65-knot loading reference.
- EFB and cockpit operation are documented without external control or telemetry semantics.
- Tail-skid ground handling does not measure stick forces, engine vibration or biplane buffet magnitude.
- Curtiss JN-4 Jenny documentary evidence does not establish force-feedback hardware acceptance.
Physical validation
No physical force validation is recorded in this public catalogue for this revision. Documentary review and software checks do not establish how a particular device feels.
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