Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
Short Brothers developed the Skyvan for small-transport work, with a high wing, fixed gear and two turboprops around a rectangular fuselage. Passenger, freight and skydiving operators have used its large cabin and rear access.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗Mail, supplies and a year across Alaska
Miller’s year with the Skyvan took him from Anchorage freight work to supplying exploration camps on the North Slope. He moved back to Fairbanks and remembered making regular trips onto frozen lakes with food, mail, people and equipment. The aircraft connected isolated camps with the supplies they needed through the winter. A summer contract changed the work again, carrying supplies for smokejumpers across Alaska.
First-person recollection preserved by Ruud Leeuw. Petco Aviation’s N101WA, late 1974 to about December 1975; later reader updates are separate contributions.
Ruud Leeuw aviation archive · Read more ↗Utility aircraft, full set of flight-guidance controls
The Skyvan guide documents a dedicated autopilot master, navigation and capture modes, pitch and roll trim controls, and hydraulic preparation.
SC.7 Skyvan · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube iniBuilds · 26 min ·
Welcome to the Short SC.7 Skyvan | Microsoft Flight Simulator
iniBuilds introduces its Skyvan, including a cockpit tour and tablet features.
Simulator · iniBuilds Skyvan · MSFS
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Short SC.7 Skyvan
Short Brothers developed the Skyvan for small-transport work, with a high wing, fixed gear and two turboprops around a rectangular fuselage. Passenger, freight and skydiving operators have used its large cabin and rear access.
The simulator documentation describes the available cabin, cargo and mission options alongside the flight instruments.
Short SC.7 Skyvan
Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Development milestones
First flight: 17 January 1963
Wikipedia contributors · Short SC.7 Skyvan ↗Short SC.7 Skyvan · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1368372027
Pilot accounts
Mail, supplies and a year across Alaska
Miller’s year with the Skyvan took him from Anchorage freight work to supplying exploration camps on the North Slope. He moved back to Fairbanks and remembered making regular trips onto frozen lakes with food, mail, people and equipment. The aircraft connected isolated camps with the supplies they needed through the winter.
A summer contract changed the work again, carrying supplies for smokejumpers across Alaska. Miller recalled the variety of improvised landing places and the pleasure of flying an aircraft that could carry useful loads into them. His memories also include the community of pilots arriving in Fairbanks after Vietnam. The recollection gives the boxy transport a place in a busy, changing working life, rather than reducing it to an unusual silhouette.
First-person recollection preserved by Ruud Leeuw. Petco Aviation’s N101WA, late 1974 to about December 1975; later reader updates are separate contributions.
Read the full account · Ruud Leeuw aviation archive ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024SC.7 Skyvan
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
SC.7 Skyvan
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020SC.7 Skyvan
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
SC.7 Skyvan
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
X-Plane 12Short SC7 Skyvan
X-Hangar · Released
Short SC7 Skyvan
X-Hangar · 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.
Simulator documentation
Utility aircraft, full set of flight-guidance controlsSC.7 Skyvan · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The Skyvan guide documents a dedicated autopilot master, navigation and capture modes, pitch and roll trim controls, and hydraulic preparation.
Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF pp.25,27
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Change the panel through the cockpit tabletSC.7 Skyvan · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The EFB’s Options page switches between classic and modern centre-panel avionics. Its Ground page controls doors and cabin lighting, while the moving map displays a route created in the World Map.
iniBuilds manual v1.0.1, May 2024 · PDF pp.10–12; MSFS2020 edition
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Use the checklist to find a controlSC.7 Skyvan · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The top-menu checklist includes an eye icon that moves the view to the relevant cockpit control. The manual also describes automatic completion of an individual checklist item.
May 2024 manual · PDF p.7; not an assertion about the MSFS2024 checklist interface
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Choose the cabin for the jobSC.7 Skyvan · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The guide identifies Airliner, Military, Skydive and Surveyor variants, each with its own cabin arrangement. The Surveyor is described as including working equipment in the rear cabin.
May 2024 manual · PDF p.4
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗The original MSFS 2020 releaseSC.7 Skyvan · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2020
The May 2024 Local Legend 16 release describes sixteen liveries, including airliner, military, skydiving and survey schemes. The original package is available through the MSFS 2020 Marketplace.
2024-05-28 · release and package scope
Microsoft Flight Simulator Team · Read the source ↗Pilot account
Mail, supplies and a year across AlaskaFirst-person recollection preserved by Ruud Leeuw. Petco Aviation’s N101WA, late 1974 to about December 1975; later reader updates are separate contributions.
Miller’s year with the Skyvan took him from Anchorage freight work to supplying exploration camps on the North Slope. He moved back to Fairbanks and remembered making regular trips onto frozen lakes with food, mail, people and equipment. The aircraft connected isolated camps with the supplies they needed through the winter. A summer contract changed the work again, carrying supplies for smokejumpers across Alaska.
Larry D. Miller
Ruud Leeuw aviation archive · Read the source ↗Developer documentation
Short SC7 Skyvan — product listingShort SC7 Skyvan · X-Plane 12
Product listing captured 2026-09-24; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
X-Hangar · 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 developers Short SC.7 ManualMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Short SC.7 SkyvanWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1368372027 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftDeveloper documentation
Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases Local Legend 16: The Short SC.7 SkyvanMicrosoft Flight Simulator Team · 2024-05-28 · 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
Short SC7 SkyvanX-Hangar · 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 · 2 profile choices
X-Hangar Short SC.7 Skyvan
X-Hangar · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
X-Hangar Short SC.7 Skyvan: The profile supplies selected utility-transport yoke resistance.
Short SC.7 Skyvan
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Short SC.7 Skyvan: The profile supplies selected utility-transport yoke resistance.
X-Hangar Short SC.7 Skyvan
X-Hangar Short SC.7 Skyvan: The profile supplies selected utility-transport yoke resistance.
Aircraft and simulator scope
- X-Hangar Short SC.7 Skyvan · X-Hangar · X-Plane 12 · Add-on starting point
The simulator model and controls
Short Brothers developed the Skyvan for small-transport work, with a high wing, fixed gear and two turboprops around a rectangular fuselage. Passenger, freight and skydiving operators have used its large cabin and rear access.
This profile selects X-Hangar Short SC.7 Skyvan for X-Plane 12.
How this profile feels
The profile supplies selected utility-transport yoke resistance. Spring resistance builds with the selected airspeed response. A separate aerodynamic term adds speed-dependent control load.
Pitch relief is separate from cargo layout and AP mode selection. Pitch-trim relief is off. Autopilot following is off.
Controls and trim
The Skyvan’s fixed tricycle gear and box-shaped cabin serve passenger and cargo work. The reviewed rendition uses twin turboprops, flaps and an S-TEC55 automatic-flight installation, with a cabin-configuration menu.
The selected implementation
X-Hangar’s Skyvan has fixed tricycle gear, twin turboprops, flaps, passenger/cargo menus and an S-TEC55.
About the values
The gains are normalized profile settings. They describe the chosen effect balance; hand force depends on the device and its output limits. IAS references are tuning values rather than operating limits. Physical acceptance of this revision remains pending.
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
InheritedThis profile selects X-Hangar Short SC.7 Skyvan for X-Plane 12.
Flight controls
InheritedThe Skyvan’s fixed tricycle gear and box-shaped cabin serve passenger and cargo work. The reviewed rendition uses twin turboprops, flaps and an S-TEC55 automatic-flight installation, with a cabin-configuration menu.
Trim
InheritedPitch relief is separate from cargo layout and AP mode selection. Pitch relief is off, with stored authority 0; roll authority is 0.
Autopilot and stability
InheritedAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel.
Equipment
InheritedX-Hangar’s Skyvan has fixed tricycle gear, twin turboprops, flaps, passenger/cargo menus and an S-TEC55.
Speeds and limits
InheritedThe indicated-speed references set the profile response scale; they are separate from aircraft operating limits.
Simulator integration
InheritedThe profile targets 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 whyThe profile supplies selected utility-transport yoke resistance. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 60 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 120 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value120 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 value60.0 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 valueDisabled | 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. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
All 44 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 whyThe profile supplies selected utility-transport yoke resistance. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 60 KIAS. |
| Spring deadband | Starting value0.04 | What it controls and whySets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.8 | What it controls and whyThe aerodynamic-load gain is 0.8 with an indicated-speed reference of 120 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| 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 value60.0 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value120 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| 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 60 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. |
| 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. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
| 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 valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Elevator Authority | Starting value0 | What it controls and whyPitch relief is separate from cargo layout and AP mode selection. Pitch relief is off, with stored authority 0; 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. |
| 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 value0.4 | What it controls and whySets rolling texture strength, modified by speed, surface and undercarriage configuration. |
| 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 value0.12 | 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
- Manual utility-transport controls; passenger/cargo loading does not establish different force gradients.
- No exact trim-neutral relationship established; relief off.
- No calibrated autopilot servo or inceptor-demand output established. AP follow and neutral hold are disabled.
- 120 KIAS is an estimated tuning reference, not a certified operating limit or cruise TAS.
- Native read-only aircraft telemetry only. No custom interface names, units or freshness contract invented; switches and animated controls are not servo demands.
- Spring 0.74, lateral scale 0.7, pitch/roll relief 0/0; editable estimates. No measured hand-force calibration, unsupported failure loads, surface-follow or body-rate torque.
- Installed-aircraft and physical checks are deferred. If telemetry omits the developer or configuration, select this profile and save it as the aircraft default.
- Only actual accessory-position changes drive movement textures. No release or installed-product acceptance is inferred.
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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