Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The MU-2 first flew in 1963 and became a major postwar Japanese civil-aircraft programme. Two turboprops power its compact high-wing airframe, built in short- and long-fuselage versions.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗Discovering the feel of a long-body MU-2
Flying with owner Jim Burton, Bedell found that the MU-2 rewarded the sort of disciplined handling he associated with jets. Properly balanced power and trim produced a steady aircraft, and its behaviour in turbulence made a favourable impression. Sitting close to the ground made the brisk takeoff feel particularly lively.
AOPA Pilot · May 2011. Demonstration in Jim Burton’s 1978 MU-2N, with its earlier engines; performance and handling impressions concern that aircraft and flight.
AOPA Pilot · Read more ↗An illustrated guide to the MU-2 cockpit
The MU-2's centre console carries an autopilot panel below the trim lever. The guide describes separate heading, localiser-capture, glideslope and altitude-hold modes. Selecting ALT holds the current altitude; a separate turn control commands bank, while the vertical-speed selector provides climb or descent control.
MU-2 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024 / MSFS 2020
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube MU2B60 Marquise · 25 min ·
Mitsubishi MU-2 Flight home from Green Bay - In-cockpit
A pilot flies an MU-2 home from inspection, with cockpit views and ATC audio.
Real aircraft · MU-2B-60 Marquise
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Mitsubishi MU-2
The MU-2 first flew in 1963 and became a major postwar Japanese civil-aircraft programme. Two turboprops power its compact high-wing airframe, built in short- and long-fuselage versions.
Spoilers provide roll control, leaving extensive wing area available for flaps. The specification tables and simulator documentation identify the represented fuselage and equipment.
Mitsubishi MU-2
Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
A wing designed around two different jobs
The MU-2 combines a relatively small wing for fast cruising with full-span Fowler flaps for slower flight. Those flaps occupy the space normally used by ailerons, so spoilers provide roll control. Pilot accounts cover both short- and long-body versions, identified with each account.
AOPA Pilot · Mitsubishi MU-2: Addictive performance ↗Design explanation in AOPA Pilot · May 2011; family context
Development milestones
First flight: 14 September 1963
Wikipedia contributors · Mitsubishi MU-2 ↗Mitsubishi MU-2 · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1367072131
Pilot accounts
Discovering the feel of a long-body MU-2
Flying with owner Jim Burton, Bedell found that the MU-2 rewarded the sort of disciplined handling he associated with jets. Properly balanced power and trim produced a steady aircraft, and its behaviour in turbulence made a favourable impression. Sitting close to the ground made the brisk takeoff feel particularly lively.
The same low viewpoint took some getting used to on landing, where it encouraged the impression that a flare was needed earlier than it really was. Bedell distinguished this long-body aircraft from shorter MU-2s, whose landing-gear geometry could give them a different feel. Burton used the aircraft for business trips from Virginia, and his detailed knowledge of its systems was part of the experience of learning to appreciate it.
AOPA Pilot · May 2011. Demonstration in Jim Burton’s 1978 MU-2N, with its earlier engines; performance and handling impressions concern that aircraft and flight.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗Crossing the Atlantic as the world began closing
Renz’s delivery route led through Maine, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland before reaching Germany. A clear arrival through a Greenland fjord became one of his most beautiful flights. Elsewhere, the practical work was less picturesque: covers protected the aircraft during a stormy overnight stop without hangar space.
In Iceland, a flap problem threatened the schedule. Renz was also a mechanic, and borrowed tools and telephone help from an MU-2 service centre got the aircraft moving again after a half-day delay. News of pandemic restrictions followed him across the route. After delivering the Marquise, he shortened his visit and caught the last nonstop United flight from Berlin to Newark before that service stopped.
AGC interview reproduced by AvBuyer · November 2020. March 2020 ferry of an MU-2B Marquise from South Carolina to Germany; this was a delivery flight for its new owner.
Read the full account · AvBuyer / Aircraft Guaranty Corporation ↗Making a familiar journey in a different kind of twin
Connolly compared his Solitaire with the Cessna 340 he had previously owned through a journey he knew well: New Hampshire to Florida. The MU-2 shortened the trip substantially. Although its hourly costs were higher in his figures, the shorter travelling time made the overall comparison much closer than that single number suggested.
He was equally pleased with the reliability he had experienced so far, while describing the inspections and repairs that had actually been needed. His enthusiasm came with a strong commitment to staying familiar with the aircraft. He reported flying it at least weekly and returning for recurrent training several times in a year. Ownership, for him, included both the enjoyment of travelling and the effort of remaining current.
Owner comments reproduced by AVweb in February 2001. Connolly describes a 1981 Solitaire bought in December 1994 and its first 183 hours in his ownership; this is a historical ownership report.
Read the full account · AVweb ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024MU-2
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MU-2
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020MU-2
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MU-2
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
X-Plane 12MU-2 Marquise v2
TOGA Simulations · Released
MU-2 Marquise v2
TOGA Simulations · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 12.01 m (39 ft 5 in) |
| Wingspan | 11.94 m (39 ft 2 in) including tip tanks |
| Height | 4.17 m (13 ft 8 in) |
| Wing area | 16.55 m² (178.1 sq ft) |
| Empty weight | 3,433 kg (7,568 lb) |
| Max takeoff weight | 5,250 kg (11,574 lb) |
| Powerplant | 2 × AiResearch TPE331 -6-251M turboprop engines, 579 kW (776 hp) each |
| Propellers | 3-bladed Hartzell HC-B3TN-5/T10178HB-11 fully feathering reversible constant-speed propellers, 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in) diameter |
| Cruise speed | 547 km/h (340 mph, 295 kn) at 4,175 kg (9,204 lb) at 4,575 m (15,010 ft) maximum |
| Stall speed | 185 km/h (115 mph, 100 kn) flaps down ( Calibrated airspeed ) |
| Range | 2,334 km (1,450 mi, 1,260 nmi) at 7,620 m (25,000 ft) with full wing and tip tanks including 30 minutes reserve |
| Service ceiling | 9,020 m (29,590 ft) |
| Rate of climb | 12.0 m/s (2,360 ft/min) at sea level |
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
An illustrated guide to the MU-2 cockpitMU-2 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024 / MSFS 2020
The MU-2's centre console carries an autopilot panel below the trim lever. The guide describes separate heading, localiser-capture, glideslope and altitude-hold modes. Selecting ALT holds the current altitude; a separate turn control commands bank, while the vertical-speed selector provides climb or descent control.
iniBuilds MU-2 manual v1.0.1, 9 September 2023; documented simulator behaviour · PDF p.24
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Find a control through the built-in checklistMU-2 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The 2023 guide documents simulator checklists with a view shortcut beside each item, taking the camera to the relevant control. It also provides an auto-complete option for working through an item more quickly.
iniBuilds MU-2 v1.0.1 · PDF p.7; MSFS 2020 interface
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Choosing classic or modern radio equipmentMU-2 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024 / MSFS 2020
The tablet can exchange the classic radios and transponder for a modern panel. The guide notes an electrical prerequisite for the modern instruments: both radio switches and the inverter switch must be on. Those switches supply power to the instruments.
iniBuilds MU-2 manual v1.0.1, 9 September 2023; documented simulator behaviour · PDF p.12
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗The original MSFS 2020 releaseMU-2 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The October 2023 Famous Flyer 7 release offers the MU-2 in five liveries. This record identifies the Microsoft-published MSFS 2020 package.
2023-10-31 · release and package scope
Microsoft Flight Simulator Team · Read the source ↗Pilot account
Discovering the feel of a long-body MU-2AOPA Pilot · May 2011. Demonstration in Jim Burton’s 1978 MU-2N, with its earlier engines; performance and handling impressions concern that aircraft and flight.
Flying with owner Jim Burton, Bedell found that the MU-2 rewarded the sort of disciplined handling he associated with jets. Properly balanced power and trim produced a steady aircraft, and its behaviour in turbulence made a favourable impression. Sitting close to the ground made the brisk takeoff feel particularly lively. The same low viewpoint took some getting used to on landing, where it encouraged the impression that a flare was needed earlier than it really was.
Peter A. Bedell
AOPA Pilot · Read the source ↗Crossing the Atlantic as the world began closingAGC interview reproduced by AvBuyer · November 2020. March 2020 ferry of an MU-2B Marquise from South Carolina to Germany; this was a delivery flight for its new owner.
Renz’s delivery route led through Maine, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland before reaching Germany. A clear arrival through a Greenland fjord became one of his most beautiful flights. Elsewhere, the practical work was less picturesque: covers protected the aircraft during a stormy overnight stop without hangar space. In Iceland, a flap problem threatened the schedule.
Ron Renz
AvBuyer / Aircraft Guaranty Corporation · Read the source ↗Developer documentation
MU-2 Marquise v2 — product listingMU-2 Marquise v2 · X-Plane 12
Product listing captured 2026-09-24; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
X-Aviation · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
MU-2_MSFS_ManualMicrosoft / aircraft developers Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Mitsubishi MU-2Wikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1367072131 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftDeveloper documentation
Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases Famous Flyer 7: The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2Microsoft Flight Simulator Team · 2023-10-31 · release and package scopeType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Product
MU-2 current release and XP12 supportX-Aviation · Product listing captured 2026-09-24; edition scope from the reviewed catalogueBuilt-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 · 7 profile choices
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 4-blade G600
TOGA Simulations · Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 4-blade G600: The spoiler-based lateral system motivates its own axis balance.
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 4-blade GNS
TOGA Simulations · Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 4-blade GNS: The spoiler-based lateral system motivates its own axis balance.
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 4-blade OEM
TOGA Simulations · Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 4-blade OEM: The spoiler-based lateral system motivates its own axis balance.
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 5-blade G600
TOGA Simulations · Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 5-blade G600: The spoiler-based lateral system motivates its own axis balance.
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 5-blade GNS
TOGA Simulations · Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 5-blade GNS: The spoiler-based lateral system motivates its own axis balance.
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 5-blade OEM
TOGA Simulations · Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
TOGA MU-2 Marquise 5-blade OEM: The spoiler-based lateral system motivates its own axis balance.
Mitsubishi MU-2
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Mitsubishi MU-2: The spoiler-based lateral system motivates its own axis balance.
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