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Meet the aircraft
The VL-3 originated with Aveko and continued under JMB Aircraft. Its composite low-wing airframe and enclosed side-by-side two-seat cabin belong to the European ultralight and light-aircraft market.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A camera offers a different view of retracting the wheels
Hirschman settled into a reclined seat with the controls comfortably within reach, finding a surprisingly accommodating cockpit inside the small VL3. One unusual detail entertained him after departure: a belly-mounted camera let him watch the wheels retract. The aircraft’s equipment and arrangement gave the flight some of the character of a much larger travelling machine.
AOPA · January 2022. Actual flight narrative identifies a 115-hp Rotax 914 UL aircraft; the accompanying specification box describes a 915 model.
AOPA · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Twin.G.Thrust · 73 min ·
So entsteht die JMB VL3: Vom Carbon bis zum Abnahmeflug | DOKU | 4k | JMB Aircraft | Cockpit
A German-language documentary follows VL3 construction through its acceptance flight.
Real aircraft · JMB VL-3 Evolution
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Meet JMB VL-3 Evolution
The VL-3 originated with Aveko and continued under JMB Aircraft. Its composite low-wing airframe and enclosed side-by-side two-seat cabin belong to the European ultralight and light-aircraft market.
The Evolution programme has offered different engines, landing gear and cockpit equipment over time. Simulator product descriptions identify the configuration represented by each package.
JMB VL-3 Evolution
Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
A touring community finds things to do when the weather intervenes
JMB’s German dealer recalled a 2022 Sardinia trip involving fifteen VL3s. Strong Mistral winds curtailed much of the flying, leaving time for exploring by car, food and beaches; a day trip to Elba and an evening flight still featured in the group’s memories.
JMB Aircraft Germany · Ein Jahr VL3: 2022 ↗Dealer’s collective retrospective; not counted as an additional individual pilot account
Pilot accounts
A camera offers a different view of retracting the wheels
Hirschman settled into a reclined seat with the controls comfortably within reach, finding a surprisingly accommodating cockpit inside the small VL3. One unusual detail entertained him after departure: a belly-mounted camera let him watch the wheels retract. The aircraft’s equipment and arrangement gave the flight some of the character of a much larger travelling machine.
Later, the arrival at Mansfield brought gusty wind and a chance to learn how the aircraft slowed and landed. Hirschman liked the balance of the controls and the way the undercarriage absorbed the touchdown. His account combines that enjoyment with attention to managing a slippery aircraft on approach. The experience concerns the 914-powered example he actually flew, rather than the different engine configuration described elsewhere in the article.
AOPA · January 2022. Actual flight narrative identifies a 115-hp Rotax 914 UL aircraft; the accompanying specification box describes a 915 model.
Read the full account · AOPA ↗The importer keeps bringing the conversation back to touring
Returning to the VL3 after an earlier fixed-gear flight, Wolter was curious about what retractable wheels would do for its performance. Importer Roland Pfeiffer repeatedly steered the conversation towards travelling rather than chasing a maximum speed. The flight gave Wolter time to consider that emphasis while learning the particular aircraft’s controls and configuration.
Low cloud limited what they could assess, and Wolter explicitly left stalls out of this flight. As they slowed for the return, a speed that would seem brisk in another light aircraft felt unexpectedly sedate after the cruise. The arrival left him appreciating the VL3 as a touring machine. His report distinguishes the aircraft he flew from later propeller options and from the earlier fixed-gear version he remembered.
fliegermagazin · April 2014. Retractable VL-3 Evolution D-MRII, serial 121, with a 100-hp Rotax 912 S and fixed-pitch DUC propeller; flight with Roland Pfeiffer at Mengen.
Read the full account · fliegermagazin ↗A familiar airframe feels different with a turbine
Davidson spent time on the ground learning the turbine’s indications and warnings before taking the prototype out alone. A winter sun had softened the grass runway, adding a practical concern to the departure. Once airborne, the quick acceleration and climb required his attention, but the absence of familiar piston-engine vibration soon became the dominant impression.
The controls also felt different from the standard VL3 he knew: more even in their forces and somewhat heavier. Returning to the nearby strip exposed another side of the aircraft, as losing height while keeping speed under control took planning. A manageable crosswind arrival completed the flight. Davidson’s enthusiasm is grounded in this particular prototype encounter, with development changes and projected production performance kept separate from what he experienced.
AOPA republication of an Aviation et Pilote report · June 2025. Solo evaluation of the Turbotech-powered VL3 prototype on a private French microlight strip; not the stock Rotax aircraft.
Read the full account · AOPA / Aviation et Pilote ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024VL-3
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
VL-3
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020VL-3
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
VL-3
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Manuals & resources
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Pilot account
A camera offers a different view of retracting the wheelsAOPA · January 2022. Actual flight narrative identifies a 115-hp Rotax 914 UL aircraft; the accompanying specification box describes a 915 model.
Hirschman settled into a reclined seat with the controls comfortably within reach, finding a surprisingly accommodating cockpit inside the small VL3. One unusual detail entertained him after departure: a belly-mounted camera let him watch the wheels retract. The aircraft’s equipment and arrangement gave the flight some of the character of a much larger travelling machine. Later, the arrival at Mansfield brought gusty wind and a chance to learn how the aircraft slowed and landed.
Dave Hirschman
AOPA · Read the source ↗The importer keeps bringing the conversation back to touringfliegermagazin · April 2014. Retractable VL-3 Evolution D-MRII, serial 121, with a 100-hp Rotax 912 S and fixed-pitch DUC propeller; flight with Roland Pfeiffer at Mengen.
Returning to the VL3 after an earlier fixed-gear flight, Wolter was curious about what retractable wheels would do for its performance. Importer Roland Pfeiffer repeatedly steered the conversation towards travelling rather than chasing a maximum speed. The flight gave Wolter time to consider that emphasis while learning the particular aircraft’s controls and configuration. Low cloud limited what they could assess, and Wolter explicitly left stalls out of this flight.
Peter Wolter
fliegermagazin · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
JMB VL-3 SprintWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1102426560 · retrieved 2026-09-12 Ein Jahr VL3: 2022JMB Aircraft Germany · Dealer’s retrospective of 2022 touring activitiesResource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoft MSFS 2020 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-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
JMB VL-3 Evolution
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
JMB VL-3 Evolution: The profile supplies the chosen light-aircraft stick resistance.
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