Maxair Drifter

THE AIRCRAFT

Meet Maxair Drifter

The Drifter is an open-air pusher ultralight with its occupants below the wing and the engine behind them. Ant’s handbook traces the design to the 1980s and describes approximately 500 built. The small airframe’s view and arrangement come from that low-speed recreational role, with little cockpit structure between the occupants and the surrounding air.

The handbook describes a Rotax 582 driving a four-blade Brolga propeller through a reduction gearbox. Pitch trim uses a wire-operated tab controlled from a lever on the front stick. Wheel and float versions give the same broad aircraft a different surface-contact arrangement, while the propulsion and trim mechanism retain their own identity.

Research-based aircraft backgroundAnt's Airplanes · Drifter MSFS Pilot’s Handbook ↗

HOW IT CAME TO BE

History & design

An ultralight from the 1980s

Ant’s handbook places the Drifter’s origin in the 1980s and records a production total of about 500. Its simulator package preserves the exposed pusher layout and offers wheels and floats. Those versions make different parts of the airframe relevant during landing and surface movement.

Ant's Airplanes · Drifter MSFS Pilot’s Handbook ↗

Ant’s Drifter handbook aircraft background and configuration.

Tab trim from the front stick

The trim lever acts by wire on the elevator tab. This changes aerodynamic pitch balance while leaving the primary stick to command the elevator. The handbook’s 50–65-knot cruise range is a stated flight reference for its configuration, distinct from engine speed and the reduction between crankshaft and propeller.

Ant's Airplanes · Drifter MSFS Pilot’s Handbook ↗

Ant’s Drifter handbook trim, engine and performance.

UNDER THE SKIN

Systems & details

The handbook’s version and aircraft state matter

Ant’s version 1.30 handbook records changes to empty and gross weights and corrections for MSFS 2024. Earlier updates revised fuel capacity, consumption, engine behaviour and the tablet. Engine-start difficulty can require priming for a cold start, while rolling-resistance options affect ground movement. These documented changes distinguish the full product from its limited demonstration version and make the handbook revision relevant when comparing fuel figures or the behaviour of an older installation.

Ant’s Drifter Ultralight handbook v1.30

Ant's Airplanes · Drifter MSFS Pilot’s Handbook ↗

VIRTUAL VERSIONS

In your simulator

No released simulator product is listed for this aircraft in the developers reviewed. Announced products are excluded.

GO TO THE SOURCE

Manuals & resources

Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.

Manual

↗Drifter MSFS Pilot’s HandbookAnt's Airplanes · Ant’s Drifter handbook aircraft background and configuration.; Ant’s Drifter handbook trim, engine and performance.

Developer documentation

↗ANT'Santsairplanes.com · Aircraft equipment and developer product details.

AIRCRAFT AND FEEL

Built-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-20261011-v3 · 4 profile choices