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.
Fokker F28 Fellowship
The F28 brought Fokker from successful turboprop transports into the regional-jet market. Its two rear-mounted engines, low wing and T-tail follow a recognisable period layout. The programme produced several fuselage and wing developments.
Its flight deck belongs to an earlier generation of airline equipment, with a different automation philosophy from modern regional jets. Just Flight's package and manual identify the included variants and systems, making the Fellowship a useful historical comparison with the later BAe 146 and Embraer E-Jets.
Aircraft / family
Ford 4AT Trimotor
The Trimotor combined a high wing and fixed landing gear with three engines: one in the nose and one beneath each wing. Ford's involvement brought a famous industrial name to a growing air-transport market. The design served airlines, government operators and military customers.
Its cabin and cockpit show a stage between open-cockpit flying and later pressurised airliners. The simulator's optional modern navigation equipment is a separate installation, useful to identify rather than quietly folding it into the history of the original aircraft.
Aircraft / family
Granville Gee Bee R2 / Z
Granville Brothers created the Gee Bee racers for a specialised purpose: speed competition. The Model R's proportions make that focus visible, with a large engine cowling, small wings and a cockpit set far aft. Gee Bee is derived from the initials of Granville Brothers.
The Model Z, R-1 and R-2 are related racing aircraft, not alternate names for an identical airframe. A museum replica can also differ from an original racer. These distinctions belong in captions and simulator model labels, especially for such a visually memorable family.
Aircraft / family
Grumman Albatross HU-16 / G-111
The Albatross combines a boat-shaped hull with retractable landing gear, allowing operations from water and runways. Two radial engines sit high on the wing, clear of much of the spray. Military versions served under several designations before the HU-16 name was standardised.
The G-111 represents a civilian development of the family. That distinction matters in a package containing both military and civilian aircraft: cabin arrangement and equipment need their own descriptions. In the simulator, water handling and the transition between a boat and a wheeled aircraft are central parts of its identity.
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
Grumman G-21A Goose
The Goose was conceived as a practical transport for businessmen around Long Island. A boat hull, retractable landing gear and two engines mounted high on the wing let it connect water and conventional airfields. It later served military operators during the Second World War.
The G-21 sits at a smaller scale than Grumman's Albatross, with a different cabin and mission history. Civilian survivors and military JRF versions may carry different equipment. That long service life helps explain the range of appearances a simmer may encounter in photographs and packages.
Aircraft / family
Hughes H-4 Hercules
The H-4 was conceived as a wartime transatlantic transport, but completion came after the war. Its eight engines and immense wing were arranged around a flying-boat hull capable of carrying a very large load. The prototype flew briefly on 2 November 1947.
The Spruce Goose nickname is more famous than the official Hercules name, although birch was an important material in its construction. The project never became an operational transport fleet. Its simulator appearance offers a way to explore a singular experimental aircraft rather than a typical airline or military service machine.
Aircraft / family
Hughes OH-6 / 500
Hughes developed the OH-6 for the US Army's Light Observation Helicopter programme. Its compact airframe and single turbine suited reconnaissance and utility work. The civilian Hughes 500 lineage developed from the same basic design.
The OH-6 and later 500-family aircraft have different engines, rotor developments and equipment. Taog's simulator package also offers different skid and float configurations. Its documented electric cyclic trim should not be confused with a full automatic flight-control system.
Aircraft / family
ICON A5
The A5 was designed around recreational flying from both water and runways. A high-mounted engine drives a propeller behind the cockpit, while retractable landing gear serves the land side of its amphibious role. The broad canopy and compact cabin make visibility a prominent part of its layout.
Its small scale distinguishes it from the utility flying boats elsewhere in the catalogue. The aircraft's systems and instruments should still be understood on their own terms: a recreational purpose does not make an amphibian simply a conventional light aircraft with floats added.
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.
Aircraft / family
Junkers JU 52
The Ju 52 began as a civil transport programme, with the three-engine Ju 52/3m becoming the familiar version. Its fixed gear, thick wing and corrugated exterior made a robust, readily recognisable aircraft. It served airlines before and alongside extensive military transport use.
The family includes different engines, equipment and historical roles. Its cockpit also uses period arrangements, including the combined trim-and-flap control mechanism described in the simulator documentation. Understanding those design choices is more useful than treating the Ju 52 as a modern airliner with an old exterior.
Aircraft / family
631 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Large-flying-boat controls
The Latécoère 631 manual identifies trim controls on all three axes and separate heading- and altitude-hold controls. Its cockpit diagrams explain how the simulator presents a six-engine flying boat with several crew responsibilities.
Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF pp.16,27
