The default Maule in FSX. Is this a top notch model?

**cvearl** · 12-01-2009, 06:15 PM

I started FSX with the defaults like everyone else. Most of my learning in the default Cessna. Then I bought 4 GA aircraft from Carenado and I love them as well. So...

In terms of really good default GA aircraft in FSX, I have taken a liking to the Maule in the bush and flying through the rocks. Visability is king and it's got oodles of that. Speed. Yup.

Is it me or did they put WAY more work into the Maul than just about every other aircraft in the game? It certainly looks very detailed inside and out with lots of moving parts. Had I not known it was a default plane I would have guessed payware.

Am I out to lunch here?

But then I question if the model is realistic compared to those from Carenado. Landing this thing feels really trippy. Very easy to get this thing rocking back and forth! Seems like I better have it really settled down before final. Ha.

And in others opionins out there, do you agree that the Maule is a fine model?

What others in the default GA fleet do you feel that way about. The Beachcraft seem well made but how would I know. I mean. I have never flown any of these but want to know if they are close to the correct behavior. how about that Beaver floatplane?

I look forward to this conversation.

Charles.

**RyanbATC** · 12-01-2009, 06:31 PM

The Maule is ok. I hardly ever fly it anymore. But yeah, it seems to be more detailed than the King air and Mooney. If you are looking for an excellent GA aircraft, check out the RealAir Duke. Very fast and sleek, great for IFR and decent for VFR.

http://realairsimulations.com/duke09...e=duke09_intro

**Brett_Henderson** · 12-01-2009, 07:02 PM

Yeah.. the Maule is worth the price of FSX, all by itself. And so is the Beaver, and the Goose.

I think they did a good give/take with the Maule, in that it IS a bit of a handful to fly.. but very versatile. I'd put it up there with the Carenado planes (I love'em), in every way.

I've yet to get the Duke, but I imagine it's a masterpiece... It's just that I don't fly high-performance, pressurized twins often enough to appreciate it (sim or real world). When I sim, it's usually low-and-slow, by old-fashioned navigation and realistic flight-planning. I modeled and released a Cessna 310 last year, for the times when I do want to "get somewhere".. and I chose that aircraft because I have 310 time. It's not as "pretty" as payware, but it's mighty realistic, and very easy on the frame-rate, for those times you're inclined to sit in line with jets, at big airports..lol Right now.. I'm about 70% of the way through modeling a Beech Bonanza.. and I'm going for payware quality on this one.

As for the other default beauties (Beaver and Goose), again, their use is too specialized for my type of flying. With the Beaver, it's water-runways only.. and the Goose is a real handful to fly (as it should be).

Not long ago.. I got the urge to try my hand at something big, that could cross an ocean. I chose the A2A Boeing 377, because with the AccuSim add-on.. you REALLY have to work. I won't go into detail, as it's a book's worth of stuff.. other than to say I'd like to see Accum-esque stuff for single-engine GA airplanes. It even keeps track of accumulated engine wear.

A good, happy medium, is the recently released, payware, DC-2. It gives you enough range for longer flights.. makes you take care of the engines.. really rewards good piloting, and is a fun way to fly by big, grumpy, radial engines. Be aware though.. it's not an easy airplane to fly.. best left till after you're a competent, multi-engine pilot

**markdsmith** · 12-01-2009, 07:18 PM

I like the Maule, with great detail and great flight dynamics. However, one thing that stops me enjoying it so much is the controls being 'crossed'. Has anyone noticed this or is it just me?.... Push stick to the right..... right elevator goes down(should go up), and the right wing goes down! It's only a visual error, but it bugs me enough to not use the plane much. How can that have been overlooked!? Is there a fix to this? Surely I'm not the only one to have this issue....?

**Brett_Henderson** · 12-01-2009, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by markdsmith

I like the Maule, with great detail and great flight dynamics. However, one thing that stops me enjoying it so much is the controls being 'crossed'. Has anyone noticed this or is it just me?.... Push stick to the right..... right elevator goes down(should go up), and the right wing goes down! It's only a visual error, but it bugs me enough to not use the plane much. How can that have been overlooked!? Is there a fix to this? Surely I'm not the only one to have this issue....?

It's the ailerons.. and yeah, it's a bug that cannot be fixed without access to the model source file. It doesn't bother me enough to not fly it though.

**cvearl** · 12-01-2009, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by Brett_Henderson

Yeah.. the Maule is worth the price of FSX, all by itself. And so is the Beaver, and the Goose.

I think they did a good give/take with the Maule, in that it IS a bit of a handful to fly.. but very versatile. I'd put it up there with the Carenado planes (I love'em), in every way.

I've yet to get the Duke, but I imagine it's a masterpiece... It's just that I don't fly high-performance, pressurized twins often enough to appreciate it (sim or real world). When I sim, it's usually low-and-slow, by old-fashioned navigation and realistic flight-planning. I modeled and released a Cessna 310 last year, for the times when I do want to "get somewhere".. and I chose that aircraft because I have 310 time. It's not as "pretty" as payware, but it's mighty realistic, and very easy on the frame-rate, for those times you're inclined to sit in line with jets, at big airports..lol Right now.. I'm about 70% of the way through modeling a Beech Bonanza.. and I'm going for payware quality on this one.

As for the other default beauties (Beaver and Goose), again, their use is too specialized for my type of flying. With the Beaver, it's water-runways only.. and the Goose is a real handful to fly (as it should be).

Not long ago.. I got the urge to try my hand at something big, that could cross an ocean. I chose the A2A Boeing 377, because with the AccuSim add-on.. you REALLY have to work. I won't go into detail, as it's a book's worth of stuff.. other than to say I'd like to see Accum-esque stuff for single-engine GA airplanes. It even keeps track of accumulated engine wear.

A good, happy medium, is the recently released, payware, DC-2. It gives you enough range for longer flights.. makes you take care of the engines.. really rewards good piloting, and is a fun way to fly by big, grumpy, radial engines. Be aware though.. it's not an easy airplane to fly.. best left till after you're a competent, multi-engine pilot

Originally Posted by RyanbATC

The Maule is ok. I hardly ever fly it anymore. But yeah, it seems to be more detailed than the King air and Mooney. If you are looking for an excellent GA aircraft, check out the RealAir Duke. Very fast and sleek, great for IFR and decent for VFR.

http://realairsimulations.com/duke09...e=duke09_intro

Hmmm... What about the Cessna Caravan? I have not even taken it up once since I got the damn game! But here I was leaving from Revelstoke today in my Cessna 182 and leaving right behind me was a big old Caravan.

BTW. With UTX Canada and REX Reality Theme installed. WOW. That whole Glacier Nation Park comes alive. I wish there was an easy way to move the airport a few hundred feet of it's location where it would sit on the actual landmass UTX put there for it. Beggers can't be choosers though.

Going to have to look into that Duke! thanks guys for meantioning it. I like my Carenado Piper PA28-RT but when it's straight and level, over the hood visability to the ground kind of sucks. I like VFR and like to see the ground as much as possible which is why I have been finding myself in the Maule alot lately. The Mooney 20J from Carenado is good out the window as well but the windshield is a little milky (overdone reflections?). Washes the outside world colors out a little too much for me.

Gonna check out that Duke soon I imagine.

Charles.

**Brett_Henderson** · 12-01-2009, 08:24 PM

The default Caravan is another gem.. Unfortunately, it captures a real Caravan TOO well. It's stable, easy to fly and brutally efficient at getting stuff from one place to another... in other words.. BORING.. LOL

**ReggieF5421** · 12-01-2009, 08:38 PM

The Maule shows that even the designers for Microsoft got better over the years as they made more aircraft.

The Baron, C-172, King Air, Mooney obviously are updates of the older version aircraft. The Maule is a ground up design.