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.
Douglas DC-3
The DC-3 developed from Douglas's earlier DC-2 and sleeper-transport work. Its low-wing metal airframe, retractable main gear and two radial engines became a familiar sight on airline routes. Military derivatives expanded the design's influence during the Second World War.
Civilian survivors have carried passengers and freight with a wide range of later equipment. In simulation, a vintage cockpit with a Sperry system and a modernised navigation installation are different interpretations of that long life. Their manuals explain which period and equipment the virtual aircraft represents.
Aircraft / family
Douglas DC-6
Douglas developed the DC-6 from wartime transport work into a long-range commercial competitor. Its four radial engines and pressurised cabin supported passenger and freight operations. Production ran from the 1940s into the late 1950s, with later careers extending into specialist cargo and firefighting work.
The flight engineer is a major part of the aircraft's cockpit organisation. PMDG's simulation makes that role accessible through its own interface while retaining period systems such as the Sperry autopilot. The manual explains how those responsibilities are divided in the virtual aircraft.
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
Embraer Phenom 300
Embraer developed the Phenom 300 after identifying demand for a larger aircraft than the Phenom 100. The resulting design used a new airframe approach rather than a simple stretch, with more powerful engines, winglets and spoilers. It is certificated for single-pilot operation.
Aerobask's X-Plane aircraft combines a G1000-based cockpit with custom engine and system features. The developer documents its FADEC, cruise-speed control and the different jobs performed by the spoilers. Those are concrete implementation details rather than a general claim about realism.
Aircraft / family
Epic E1000 G1000 · Aerobask · X-Plane 12
A G1000 cockpit with turboprop-specific systems
The E1000 uses Laminar's GFC700 and G1000 as a base, with custom PT6 engine displays and an EIS500 standby instrument. Aerobask also documents de-icing systems and circuit breakers. The engine displays and supporting systems are important parts of this implementation, rather than assuming every G1000-equipped aircraft shares an identical cockpit.
Epic E1000 G1000 XP12 page · Enhanced Laminar G1000; other systems
Epic E1000
Epic developed the E1000 from its earlier kit-aircraft work into a certificated production aircraft. The low-wing composite airframe combines a compact cabin with a substantial nose-mounted turboprop. Later GX developments brought further equipment changes.
Aerobask's X-Plane version pairs the aircraft with a G1000-based flight deck and developer-specific engine indications and systems. A photograph of an E1000 GX illustrates that particular real-aircraft development; the add-on's own product documentation describes the equipment actually simulated.
Aircraft / family
Erickson S-64F Aircrane
The S-64 is the civilian relative of the military CH-54 Tarhe. Its narrow fuselage and tall undercarriage leave space below for a suspended load, making the lifting role visible in the airframe itself. Two turbine engines power the large main rotor.
Erickson's Air-Crane developments have become associated with construction, logging and firefighting. A tank-equipped firefighting aircraft and a crane carrying an external load use the same basic idea in different ways. The simulator's mission equipment is consequently an important part of its aircraft description.
Aircraft / family
Extra 330LT
The Extra 300 brought a powerful piston engine, a compact fuselage and a competition-oriented wing together in a modern aerobatic aircraft. The family includes two-seat and single-seat developments with different arrangements and intended uses.
The Extra 330LT represented in this catalogue is a later touring-oriented member of the broader Extra line. A photograph or specification for a 300L is useful family background but is not a substitute for identifying the 330LT itself. The simulator package and its documentation establish the actual modelled equipment.
Aircraft / family
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
The A-10 was designed around supporting ground forces. Its low-speed manoeuvrability, large cannon installation and protection for critical systems reflect that mission. The engines sit high on the rear fuselage, and the main wheels retract into prominent wing fairings.
The Warthog nickname is as familiar as its formal Thunderbolt II name. Its cockpit and equipment have changed through upgrades, so an A-10A and A-10C should not be treated as identical systems references. Simulator availability does not by itself establish which combat or sensor functions are implemented.
Aircraft / family
Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor
The Condor began as an all-metal transport aircraft. Its long, slim fuselage and four wing-mounted engines expressed the ambitions of late-1930s airline travel. A Berlin-to-New York demonstration flight in 1938 helped draw attention to its long-distance capability.
Military Fw 200 developments later served very different roles and carried different equipment. The distinction matters when using photographs and references: an armed wartime Condor is not a literal illustration of every civil airliner cabin or cockpit configuration.
Aircraft / family
F.VII · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The package includes different engine configurations
The Fokker guide separates the single-engine F.VIIa from the trimotor aircraft, with their own weights and limits. The extra engines change the model's configuration, so the versions should not share one undifferentiated specification panel.
Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF pp.4,29; variants
Fokker F.VII
The F.VII helped establish early airline networks and long-distance flying. Fokker's initial design used one engine in the nose; the better-known trimotor developments added engines beneath the wing. Cabin size and powerplant choices varied across the family and its licensed production.
The F.VIIa and F.VIIb names therefore carry meaningful configuration differences. The simulator package includes aircraft from this wider history, making model selection more than a cosmetic choice. Period navigation and the relationship between cabin, wing and engines are central to the type's character.
Aircraft / family
