Research aircraft and systems

ATR 42-600 / 72-600 ↗Simulator documentation

42-600 / 72-600 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manuals

ATR 42-600 / 72-600 ↗Research-based aircraft background

ATR 42-600 / 72-600

The ATR 72 grew from the smaller ATR 42 into a longer regional transport. Its cabin sits below a straight high wing, with a turboprop on each side and a T-tail behind. Passenger services are only part of its story: cargo and maritime-patrol versions also use the airframe.

The 42 and 72 share a family identity but differ in size and capacity. The -600 aircraft in this catalogue also belong to a later cockpit generation than early ATRs. Their developer manuals are the useful place to compare the actual simulated equipment, rather than borrowing figures from an older ATR 72.

Aircraft / family

Aero Vodochody Ae-45 / Ae-145 ↗Simulator documentation

Ae-45 / Ae-145 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manuals

Aero Vodochody Ae-45 / Ae-145 ↗Research-based aircraft background

Aero Vodochody Ae-45 / Ae-145

The Aero 45 helped restart Czechoslovak aircraft production after the Second World War. Its twin piston engines and enclosed cabin made it a practical small transport for civilian operators. Production began at Aero and subsequently moved to Let at Kunovice.

The Ae 45, improved Ae 45S and later Ae 145 are related developments rather than three names for an identical aeroplane. That progression is part of the interest of the simulator package: a compact utility twin from an era before glass cockpits and the modern business-jet category.

Aircraft / family

Aero Vodochody L-39 ↗Simulator documentation

L-39 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024

Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manuals

Aero Vodochody L-39 ↗Research-based aircraft background

Aero Vodochody L-39

Designed by Aero Vodochody, the L-39 Albatros was built around the training role. Instructor and student sit in tandem under separate canopy sections, with a single jet engine in the fuselage. It was widely adopted by military operators, and armed versions also served in light-attack roles.

An L-39 trainer, an armed derivative and a privately operated racer can share a recognisable airframe while carrying different equipment. The simulator's package and model name matter when looking at cockpit layout or comparing a racing version with its military origins.

Aircraft / family

Aero-Works Aerolite 103 ↗Simulator documentation

Aero-Works Aerolite 103 · Laminar Research · X-Plane 12

X-Plane 12 Desktop Manual

Aero-Works Aerolite 103 ↗Simulator documentation

Aero-Works Aerolite 103 · Laminar Research · X-Plane 12

X-Plane aircraft and avionics manuals

Aero-Works Aerolite 103 ↗Simulator documentation

Aero-Works Aerolite 103 · Laminar Research · X-Plane 11

X-Plane aircraft and avionics manuals

Aero-Works Aerolite 103 ↗Research-based aircraft background

Aero-Works Aerolite 103

Terry Raber's Aerolite 103 combines a high wing, a pusher engine and a very light airframe. Its name refers to the US Part 103 ultralight category for which the original design was intended. The exposed cockpit and compact undercarriage make its construction easy to see.

This is a very different kind of aircraft from an enclosed touring single. Its appeal in a simulator is the close view of the landscape and the simplicity of the machine. The real design's category does not establish the legal status or equipment of every individually built example.

Aircraft / family

AgustaWestland AW109 ↗Simulator documentation

AW109 SP 2.0 · X-Trident · X-Plane 12

Four-axis automation and twin-engine management

X-Trident's AW109SP 2.0 documentation lists SAS, attitude and upper autopilot modes, together with automatic hover and take-off functions. FADEC and engine load-sharing are part of the twin-engine model. The developer also distinguishes some flight-model behaviour between X-Plane 11 and 12, so the simulator branch remains relevant.

AW109SP2.0 XP11/XP12 · Autopilot; Flight model

AgustaWestland AW109 ↗Research-based aircraft background

AgustaWestland AW109

The A109 originated with Agusta in Italy and continued through AgustaWestland into Leonardo. Its streamlined cabin, four-bladed main rotor and retractable undercarriage suited executive transport as well as emergency-service and other utility work.

Later developments changed engines, cabin details and avionics. The AW109SP represented by X-Trident is a particular modern version, with its own engine-management and automatic flight-control systems. An early A109 photograph is therefore family history rather than proof of the SP's equipment.

Aircraft / family