Find aircraft background, systems descriptions and manuals for the aircraft you are researching. Each note keeps its source and version context close by.
Simulator manuals describe the developer’s implementation. Aircraft background is research-based; pilot accounts describe an individual’s experience. Coverage here is limited to the selected notes and linked resources, not the full contents of every manual.
Cirrus SR22
The SR22 entered production in 2001 as a more powerful development of Cirrus's SR20. A low wing, fixed tricycle gear and side-yoke controls define the basic layout. The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System is a prominent part of the aircraft's design.
The SR22 family spans normally aspirated and turbocharged versions as well as different panel generations. Its side controls are mechanically connected rather than evidence of airliner-style fly-by-wire. Simulator implementations range from bundled aircraft to detailed add-ons with their own engine, maintenance and avionics models.
Aircraft / family
Cirrus Vision SF50
The Vision Jet applies Cirrus's personal-aircraft approach to a small jet. Its single turbofan is mounted above the fuselage, between the surfaces of the V-tail. The cabin and flight deck are arranged for an owner-pilot market, and the aircraft includes a whole-aircraft parachute system.
The SF50 is therefore a different proposition from a scaled-down twin-engine business jet. Equipment has evolved between generations, so avionics and automation features should be attached to the represented version rather than assumed from the Vision Jet name alone.
Aircraft / family
Columbia 400 · Laminar Research · X-Plane 11
X-Plane aircraft and avionics manuals
Daher TBM family
The TBM programme began as a collaboration between SOCATA and Mooney and continued under Daher. The low-wing airframe carries one nose-mounted turboprop and a pressurised cabin. Successive versions developed the engines, aerodynamics, avionics and pilot interface.
The analogue-panel TBM 850, glass-cockpit TBM 900 and TBM 930 occupy different points in that progression. They are especially useful to compare in simulation because developers model different panel generations and levels of persistent system behaviour. A manual for one should remain attached to that version.
Aircraft / family
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
The Twin Otter was developed in the 1960s around short-field utility work. Two turboprops, a high wing and a substantial cabin support passenger and freight operations. Its fixed gear can be replaced or supplemented by specialist wheel, ski and float configurations.
Production resumed under Viking before the programme returned to the De Havilland Canada name. Different series and later developments have their own engines and avionics. The simulator packages retain their variant labels so that a classic panel is not silently equated with a newer glass-cockpit aircraft.
Aircraft / family
Diamond DA62
The DA62 expanded Diamond's touring-aircraft range with a larger twin-engine cabin. Its long wing, slim engine nacelles and retractable landing gear follow the company's composite-airframe design language. Cabin seating depends on configuration, with arrangements extending beyond a conventional four-seat light aircraft.
Engine management and integrated avionics are central to the type's identity. Those systems also make it important to identify the specific simulator version: the exterior model alone does not establish how a developer has implemented the engine controls or cockpit functions.
Aircraft / family
Edgley EA-7 Optica
John Edgley's Optica was conceived for low-speed observation work. The crew sit ahead of a ducted propeller in an unusually rounded, extensively glazed cabin. Twin tail booms leave the centreline clear behind the fan, giving the aircraft a silhouette quite unlike a conventional light single.
Its layout reflects the job: visibility and loitering were central design priorities. The Microsoft/Got Friends aircraft represents the Series 300/301 in its own documentation, with avionics and simulated loading details that deserve to be read separately from the history of the original Optica.
Aircraft / family
Embraer E-Jets
Embraer developed the original E-Jets around regional and shorter mainline airline routes. Two underwing engines and a conventional tail surround a cabin wider than the company's earlier narrow regional jets. Different fuselage lengths serve different passenger capacities.
The original family is distinct from the later E2 programme. X-Crafts's documentation also separates airframe variants, avionics options and the Lineage business-aircraft development. Those details make it possible to compare the actual simulated products rather than relying on a single family label.
Aircraft / family
Phenom 300 · Aerobask · X-Plane 12
FADEC, cruise-speed control and three spoiler roles
Aerobask pairs Laminar's GFC700 with custom FADEC and current-speed-control logic in the Phenom 300. The spoilers perform distinct jobs as roll aids, ground spoilers and speed brakes. The published systems also include pressurisation, oxygen and standby instrumentation, giving readers concrete areas to investigate in the developer's documentation.
Phenom300 XP12 page · Avionics; deep system emulation
Eurocopter EC135
The EC135, later renamed H135, developed from the MBB Bo 108 programme. Its enclosed tail rotor, twin turbines and practical cabin made it a useful platform for emergency services and other operators. The type first flew in 1994 and entered service in 1996.
The H135 name covers later development of the same lineage. Mission interiors, avionics and flight-control equipment differ between operators and versions. A medical helicopter photograph illustrates a particular installation, while the simulator's own documentation identifies the equipment available to the virtual pilot.
Aircraft / family
Grumman F-14 Tomcat
The Tomcat was developed for the US Navy after the F-111B programme ended. Twin engines, widely spaced tails and a large variable-geometry wing gave it a distinctive configuration. Its mission combined fleet defence with later strike roles.
The wing sweep is a defining feature, but the aircraft's avionics and crew division are equally important. Different F-14 versions used different engines and systems. The X-Plane aircraft's documented controls and augmentation should be read as the implementation of that model, rather than as a complete account of every Tomcat.
Aircraft / family
JMB VL-3 Evolution
The VL-3 originated with Aveko and later continued under JMB Aircraft. It belongs to the European ultralight and light-aircraft world, with a composite structure and enclosed two-seat cabin. Successive developments have offered different engine and equipment combinations.
The Evolution name covers a programme that has changed over time. A simulator's represented engine, landing gear and avionics are therefore more useful identifiers than a generic performance claim about every VL-3. The model and source links below preserve those package details.
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