Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Aircraft and simulator background
The Air Camper is a 1930s-era homebuilt with a parasol wing supported by external struts above the open cockpit. Wood and fabric form most of its construction. Emerald's rendition uses a four-cylinder, 65 hp Continental A65.
Pietenpol Air Camper
Emerald · Read more ↗Wood, fabric and a scanned aircraft
Emerald describes using a high-resolution 3D scan of an original Air Camper and recordings of a Continental A65 for its rendition. The manual identifies the parasol-wing structure, open cockpit and largely wood-and-fabric construction.
Pietenpol Air Camper
Emerald · Read more ↗Cockpit configuration and assistance
The manual lists no wing flaps. Its carburettor heat uses the simulator's Spoiler axis, while the EFB and silent autopilot are convenience features. The published cruise range is 70–75 mph, with an approximately 35 mph stall figure.
Pietenpol Air Camper
Emerald · Read more ↗The v1.1.0 trim change
Emerald's v1.1.0 update uses ELEVATOR TRIM PCT EX1 for the aircraft's trim interaction in MSFS 2024.
Pietenpol Air Camper
Emerald · Read more ↗Meet Pietenpol Air Camper
The Air Camper is a 1930s-era homebuilt with a parasol wing supported by external struts above the open cockpit. Wood and fabric form most of its construction. Emerald's rendition uses a four-cylinder, 65 hp Continental A65.
The MSFS 2024 package includes Classic and bushwheel configurations, an EFB and silent autopilot assistance. The EFB and autopilot are simulator convenience features.
Pietenpol Air Camper
Pietenpol → · Explore the family →
Pietenpol Air Camper
Emerald · Pietenpol manual ↗Aircraft type designators
No type designator selected for this reference.
History & design
An aircraft built around accessible materials
Bernard Pietenpol’s 1929 Air Camper combined two open cockpits with a Ford Model A automobile engine. Published plans allowed builders to make the wood-and-fabric aircraft in small workshops. That origin explains why the Air Camper belongs to homebuilding history as much as to the story of light aircraft.
EAA · Pietenpol Air Camper: a plans-built tradition ↗EAA Chapter 1644 project account; engine examples describe the homebuilt family
A design carried forward by builders
Later builders adopted engines including the Chevrolet Corvair and small Continental aircraft engines. EAA describes a plans-built aircraft rather than a factory production line, with construction projects continuing through local chapters. Engine choice, weight and individual workmanship therefore matter when comparing a particular Air Camper with a simulator representation.
EAA · Pietenpol Air Camper: a plans-built tradition ↗EAA Chapter 1644 project account; engine examples describe the homebuilt family
Systems & details
Wood, fabric and a scanned aircraft
Emerald describes using a high-resolution 3D scan of an original Air Camper and recordings of a Continental A65 for its rendition. The manual identifies the parasol-wing structure, open cockpit and largely wood-and-fabric construction.
Cockpit configuration and assistance
The manual lists no wing flaps. Its carburettor heat uses the simulator's Spoiler axis, while the EFB and silent autopilot are convenience features. The published cruise range is 70–75 mph, with an approximately 35 mph stall figure.
The v1.1.0 trim change
Emerald's v1.1.0 update uses ELEVATOR TRIM PCT EX1 for the aircraft's trim interaction in MSFS 2024.
In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
MSFS 2024Emerald Scenery Design Pietenpol Air Camper
Emerald Scenery Design · Released
Emerald Scenery Design Pietenpol Air Camper
Emerald Scenery Design · 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.
Developer documentation
Pietenpol 1.1.0Pietenpol Air Camper
Product description and feature list
Emerald · Read the source ↗Developer manual
Pietenpol manualPietenpol Air Camper
Pietenpol Air Camper v1.1.0 manual; PDF pp.3–4, 7–9 and custom-variable tables
Emerald · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Developer documentation
Pietenpol 1.1.0Emerald · Product description and feature listDeveloper manual
Pietenpol manualEmerald · Pietenpol Air Camper v1.1.0 manual; PDF pp.3–4, 7–9 and custom-variable tablesBuilder community history
Pietenpol Air Camper: a plans-built traditionEAA · EAA Chapter 1644 project account; engine examples describe the homebuilt familyBuilt-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 · 2 profile choices
Emerald Scenery Design Pietenpol Air Camper
Emerald Scenery Design · Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2024
A wood-and-fabric parasol-wing homebuilt with an open cockpit.
Pietenpol Air Camper
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 12
A wood-and-fabric parasol-wing homebuilt with an open cockpit.
Pietenpol Air Camper
A wood-and-fabric parasol-wing homebuilt with an open cockpit.
Aircraft and simulator scope
- Pietenpol Air Camper · MSFS 2020 · Variant starting point
- Pietenpol Air Camper · MSFS 2024 · Variant starting point
- Pietenpol Air Camper · X-Plane 12 · Variant starting point
Universal named airframe/configuration; intended MSFS2020/MSFS2024/XP12 starting point, not add-on or edition acceptance. · Physical facts and prior documentary review are reused from their archived dated sources; new market availability is not inferred.
The simulator model and controls
A wood-and-fabric parasol-wing homebuilt with an open cockpit.
How this profile feels
Spring resistance builds with the selected airspeed response. A separate aerodynamic term adds speed-dependent control load.
Valid trim provides the configured pressure relief. Autopilot following is off.
Aircraft and configuration
A-65 engine, no flaps and documented classic/bush tire choices.
Wood, fabric and a scanned aircraft
Emerald describes using a high-resolution 3D scan of an original Air Camper and recordings of a Continental A65 for its rendition. The manual identifies the parasol-wing structure, open cockpit and largely wood-and-fabric construction.
Cockpit configuration and assistance
The manual lists no wing flaps. Its carburettor heat uses the simulator's Spoiler axis, while the EFB and silent autopilot are convenience features. The published cruise range is 70–75 mph, with an approximately 35 mph stall figure.
About the values
Strengths are normalized hardware-feel settings. They set the effect balance; hand force depends on the device and its limits. The IAS reference is a tuning value.
What the documentation establishes
Pietenpol Air Camper: A-65 engine, no flaps and documented classic/bush tire choices.
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
ReviewedA wood-and-fabric parasol-wing homebuilt with an open cockpit.
Flight controls
InheritedA wood-and-fabric parasol-wing homebuilt with an open cockpit.
Trim
InheritedEmerald's v1.1.0 update uses ELEVATOR TRIM PCT EX1 for the aircraft's trim interaction in MSFS 2024. Pitch authority 0.3 provides load relief and permitted centre movement; roll authority is 0.
Autopilot and stability
ReviewedAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel.
Equipment
InheritedA-65 engine, no flaps and documented classic/bush tire choices.
Speeds and limits
InheritedThe indicated-speed references set the profile response scale; they are separate from aircraft operating limits.
Simulator integration
ReviewedThe profile targets msfs2020, msfs2024, xplane12. Add-on-specific controls use only the supported references configured by this profile.
Force-feedback settings
InheritedThe 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 value0.74 | What it controls and whyEmerald describes using a high-resolution 3D scan of an original Air Camper and recordings of a Continental A65 for its rendition. The baseline spring is 0.74. 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. |
| 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 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 value0.72 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.72 and 1, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value1.0 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueDisabled | 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. |
All 45 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 value0.74 | What it controls and whyEmerald describes using a high-resolution 3D scan of an original Air Camper and recordings of a Continental A65 for its rendition. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 32.5 KIAS. |
| 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. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value1.0 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.72 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.72 and 1, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
Pietenpol Air Camper: Pitch trim documented; bounded pitch-only relief. No roll trim. Estimated pitch/roll trim authorities 0.3/0; exact add-on sign, travel, units and build-specific neutral remain unqualified. Rudder trim never substitutes for roll trim.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Elevator Authority | Starting value0.3 | What it controls and whyEmerald's v1.1.0 update uses ELEVATOR TRIM PCT EX1 for the aircraft's trim interaction in MSFS 2024. 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. |
Pietenpol Air Camper: 65 KIAS is the retained estimated tuning reference. It is not published cruise TAS, VNE, a new flight limit or a measured force threshold. Source-specific operating quantities remain attached to their original configuration and conditions.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value65 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
Tire choices do not establish measured control-force or ground-texture gains.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| Gain | Starting value0.4 | What it controls and whyTire choices do not establish measured control-force or ground-texture gains. |
Exact configured values with software explanations. Force magnitudes remain editable estimates; disabled features retain inactive values.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring deadband | Starting value0.04 | What it controls and whySets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner. |
| 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 value0.55 | 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 value8 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. |
| 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. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueDisabled | 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. |
| 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 value3 | What it controls and whySets the final flap index for detent normalization. UP plus three detents uses maximum index3. |
| Minimum flap index | Starting value2 | 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 value0.25 | 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
- Pietenpol Air Camper is a universal starting point; exact add-on matching, edition operation and physical hand-force calibration remain unqualified.
- Autopilot movement and unknown custom trim, failure or force-input signals are disabled. Confirm the selected equipment fit and trim direction for the implementation in use.
- Force magnitudes and speed tuning are editable inherited estimates. Owner physical and installed-aircraft acceptance remain pending.
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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