Meet Edgley EA-7 Optica
John Edgley's Optica was conceived for low-speed observation work. The crew sit ahead of a ducted propeller in an unusually rounded, extensively glazed cabin. Twin tail booms leave the centreline clear behind the fan, giving the aircraft a silhouette quite unlike a conventional light single.
Its layout reflects the job: visibility and loitering were central design priorities. The Microsoft/Got Friends aircraft represents the Series 300/301 in its own documentation, with avionics and simulated loading details that deserve to be read separately from the history of the original Optica.
In your simulator
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Optica
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Edition / package Standard
Observation-aircraft layout with modern navigation options
Got Friends documents a KAP140 autopilot used with the Working Title G530, along with pilot and copilot autopilot/trim-disconnect controls. Crew-dependent ballast options are also described. Those loading choices are a particularly useful detail in a small aircraft with its occupants far forward in the glazed cabin.
Microsoft / aircraft developers · AeroElvira Optica ↗Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF pp.5-7
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Manual
AeroElvira OpticaMicrosoft / aircraft developers Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Edgley OpticaWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1318375041 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftSomething missing or a source that needs attention?
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