Introduction

"The mountains are calling and I must go." This oft used quote offamed naturalist, John Muir, popped into my mind and lingered therewhen I considered the prospect of reviewing the ASDG Piper Super Cub.I was very excited, to say the least, as I absolutely love all thingsbush flying. In fact, second only to flying a jet fighter, flying ahigh wing single with huge bush wheels into tiny, remote airfields isprobably the coolest thing someone can do with an airplane. Thisaircraft file for X-Plane 11 looked tailor-made for taking into theIdaho backcountry or the Alaska bush and I was practically begging mygood friend Dom Smith for the opportunity to review it. Well, somestrings were pulled and I ended up with my very own review copy of theASDG Super Cub.

Now that I had spent way too much time hyping up this aircraft inmy own mind by drooling over screen shots and YouTube videos, wouldthe ASDG Super Cub actually live up to the hype? All the reviews Ihad watched and read about the file painted the aircraft in a veryfavorable light. Would I share those sympathies? Would this be thehighly detailed bush plane I have always wanted for flying theremotest places of X-Plane's world? Let's find out.

Modeling, Textures And Features

Once I had downloaded the ASDG Piper Super Cub file I was pleasedto see that it included essentially four separate acf's: a basic modelwith standard landing gear and a 150 hp engine, a tundra wheeled modelwith a 150 hp engine, a tundra wheeled model with a 180 hp engine, andan amphibian model with a 180 hp engine. Not only are there fouraircraft in one purchase, but also each model has its own, uniqueflight model. This instantly got my attention as an incredible sourceof value that not every airplane add-on out there can boast of.

The Aero Sim Development Group (ASDG) is a relative newcomer to theflight simulation/X-Plane world, and the Super Cub is their firstforay into airplane development. I followed the progress of theirSuper Cub with great interest on the forums as ASDG shared screenshots and posted updates of its development. Not only did the expertmodeling and realistic textures intrigue me, but also the revelationthat the ASDG Super Cub would include the proven and popular RealityExpansion Pack from Sim Coders. I have tested and reviewed a RealityExpansion Pack (REP) from Sim Coders in the past with the CarenadoCessna CT210M Centurion for X-Plane 10 and absolutely loved it. Therealistic enhancements that REP offers over the standard offeringsfrom third party developers are clear. REP provides the sim pilotwith a sense of "virtual ownership" of their airplanes, as they areable to conduct a walk-around, do repairs, change the oil, tires, andspark plugs, and fly the aircraft "by the book." The fact that theAero Sim Development Group "tag teamed" with Sim Coders on their SuperCub is a major selling point to this file. It was a brilliantdecision and should not be overlooked. Here again, the ASDG Super Cubgets major points for value.

For my first flight with the ASDG Super Cub I selected the 180 hpmodel with tundra tires. I figured, "go big or go home." I decidedthat such a momentous occasion ought to take place near an area wherethis type of aircraft loves to fly, so I chose McCall MunicipalAirport (KMYL), not far from some iconic grass airfields in the Idahobackcountry. With the field nestled at an altitude of 5,024 feet,this wouldn't exactly be testing the airplane's performance at sealevel, but, honestly, my excitement to play with the Super Cub wastrumping any desire for accurate flight testing at the moment.

Once the aircraft loaded in X-Plane 11.26, I immediately left the3D cockpit and began perusing the exterior, as is my normal reviewtechnique. I was quickly rewarded with views of an airplane thatlooked very much like the "real deal" PA-18 Super Cub. I love themassive Airstreak tundra tires on the mains, though the absence of aBaby Bushwheel for the tail was a bit surprising. Instead, even thetundra wheeled ASDG Super Cub is equipped with a standard tail wheel.

While the lines and proportions of the ASDG Super Cub look spot on,the absence of any antennae whatsoever on this aircraft wasconspicuous. You see, the interior of the aircraft is equipped withradios, an ADF, and a GNS 430, so it ought to have some exteriorantennae, right? Nope. Nothing.

Another minor criticism of the exterior is the fact that the fabriccoverings over the wheel struts are still present on the tundramodels. Most backcountry Super Cub drivers remove the coverings overthe struts because one, they are probably going to get torn up anywayand two, when you are running massive tires on your airplane itbecomes a necessity to have a place to step up in order to get intothe darn thing. Most backcountry Super Cubs have steps installed intothe wheel struts to enable easier ingress and egress. This isconspicuously absent in ASDG's rendition.

Exterior HD textures look gorgeous and the wear patterns on thepaint make the aircraft look as if it spends all of its time in thebackcountry landing in places inhospitable to more civilizedairplanes. In other words, this ain't your physician's Bonanza, andit definitely shows! While I appreciate the rough and tumbleaesthetic of the worn textures, it is almost too much, especially whenpaired with some of the more modern paint schemes. I'm not sure Iwould ever let my real airplane look that banged up.

Included with the ASDG Super Cub are seventeen high qualityliveries. Paint schemes range in style from the classic Cub yellow,to a handful of some more modern offerings. A couple of the schemesseem to have been done for the Alaskair virtual airline, one for SimCoders, and another for ASDG Subscribers. The liveries are extremelywell done, and, as I've already mentioned, the integration of the worntextures is brilliant.

Being an American, I gravitated toward the N-numbered liveries, butcouldn't settle on one I really loved. The problem here (in my mind,at least) is that most of the modern American schemes are takendirectly from "Cub clones," and not registered Piper PA-18's. Anexample here is the beautiful gray, yellow, and black N64SL which, inthe real world, is registered as a 2015 American Legend AL18 (SuperLegend HP/XP), a modern light sport aircraft that looks very much likea Super Cub but isn't. While I understand that they are very similar,the modern American Legend and the Piper PA-18 are NOT the sameairplane! The Alaska Airmen Raffle 2016 scheme looks awesome with astylized raven painted on the side, but pictures of the real worldaircraft (a real PA-18 this time) reveal a highly modified airplanethat doesn't exactly match the ASDG portrayal.

My criticisms of the liveries will definitely sound nitpicky tosome, but I hope you will bear with my rationale for just a moment.The painters at ASDG were either ignorant to the fact that a couple oftheir liveries were taken from real world S-LSA's or otherwise verydissimilar PA-18's, or they simply did not care. This type ofinaccuracy does not lend much in the way of plausibility with me andwas either an innocent goof or an intentional "no big deal" to thedevelopment team. I tend to believe the latter, unfortunately. Atany rate, it is never a good sign when the reviewer needs to find afreeware third party paint job that he likes better than the plethoraof default ones available "out of the box."

The interior of the aircraft revealed, for the most part, moreexcellent modeling and authentic looking textures. The seatbelts lookphoto real and the scrapes and dings on the floor and panel gives theimpression that this is a hard use "working" airplane and not a hangarqueen. Not all of the textures are stellar, however, and I'm not surewhat to make of the door or even what material it is supposed to be.There is also no visible latch on the door either on the interior orexterior so I'm not sure how it would remain closed in the realaircraft. That would be a bit disconcerting.

On a more positive note, I was very happy with the appearance ofthe instrument panel. The "modern" panel is well laid out and looksevery bit like what one would find in a real world, IFR equipped SuperCub. I am so happy that ASDG decided to include not only a GPS andADF, but a fabrication of a Genesys autopilot as well, integrated intothe turn coordinator. While no two PA-18's have panels that look thesame, it is difficult to pin down a model year for this airplane. Amore "vintage" panel is available as an option on the REP "MaintenanceReport" (for the 150 hp model only) which took me a couple days tofigure out. This changes the panel on the fly to an extremely simpleinstrument layout (similar to a J-3) and repositions the GPS to thearea left of the pilot's head. I prefer the modern panel for bothlooks and functionality, but having options is never a bad thing. Notevery developer includes two separate instrument panels with theirairplanes.

Once I finished ogling and critiquing the interior of the ASDGSuper Cub, I decided to explore the tabbed menu that Sim Coders hasprovided with their Reality Expansion Pack for this file. On the lefthand side of my screen there were six tabs that seemed to be cut offor only partially in view, and a seventh one labeled "Titan" belowthem. Mousing over the tabs draws them out from their peek-a-boohiding place and reveals an assortment of intuitive pictograms.

The top tab is the "Kneeboard" and clicking on it displays a pop upmenu with a host of checklists. Everything from preflight checks totakeoff, climb, cruise, etc., is covered here.

Moving downward, the second tab is the "Mass and Balance" pop upmenu, which allows the sim pilot to enter weights in the seats,baggage area, and cargo pod (if equipped) in either imperial or metricunits. Fuel quantities are also adjustable as well as flightduration. The Reality Expansion Pack calculates all the weights andbalances and plots the coordinates onto the weight and balance chart.This is probably my favorite feature of REP and lends a huge amount ofrealism to the overall simulation experience. Overload your airplaneand you will be outside of the weight and balance limits, whichnegatively affects the flight model.

Continuing down the tabs takes us to the third menu option, the"Walkaround." Clicking on the tab took me on a step-by-step virtualtour of the exterior of the airplane to ensure that the modeled tiedowns and chocks were removed, the control surfaces function properly,and the fuel tanks weren't contaminated with water. This is lesspractical in the sim than it actually sounds, but really makes me feelas though I'm actually pre-flighting the aircraft nonetheless.

The fourth tab, "Tow," is a fun one. Clicking on it positions thesim pilot in front of the left horizontal stabilizer facing the rearof the aircraft. Moving the aircraft is simple through the use of ajoystick and produces a startlingly realistic sound as that of rubberrolling on pavement. Variations in joystick pressure will cause theairplane to be pushed around at slow or high speed. Overall, theability to tow one's aircraft is a nice feature and would be a lot offun when parking at a custom airport complete with open door hangars.I imagine it would be a very satisfying experience to "push" one'sairplane into their hangar at the end of a long flight.

The fifth tab down the row is the "Maintenance Report," whichessentially is self-descriptive. Clicking on it brings up a menu thatlooks like a clipboard and gives reports on the condition of yourengine, spark plugs, electrical system, tires, wheels, etc. This isthe menu where, as I've previously mentioned, 150 hp variants of theSuper Cub may be configured with "vintage" or "modern" instrumentpanels. The Maintenance Report pop up allows the user to quicklyreview the status of their airplane and quickly make repairs ifneeded. If your oil requires changing, for example, a simple mouseclick instantly changes it. If you somehow damaged your gear on ahard landing, mouse click repairs are instant and don't cost a dime!This is what we call virtual ownership, and is another of my favoritefeatures of Sim Coders' Reality Expansion Pack.

The sixth tab is the "Automatic Engine Start," which isself-explanatory. This is a helpful feature for sim pilots who arefeeling particularly lazy, and/or those who are having difficultyfiguring out the start procedure through the use of the kneeboardchecklist. The cool thing is that once the tab is clicked, theairplane doesn't instantly start up, but, rather, systematically worksthrough the entire start up procedure automatically and spells out(literally) what is going on at the top of the screen in text format.I tried it once, for the sake of science, and was amused to watchswitches flipping on by themselves as though a poltergeist had takencontrol of my Super Cub!

Below the six tabbed menus I have just covered is a seventh onelabeled "Titan." This is in reference to the Continental Titan X-320and X-340 engines that have been modeled for the ASDG Super Cub.Clicking on the icon brings up a specification sheet for the twoengines that looks as though it were taken directly from Continental'sweb site. Other than being able to read the specs for each engine, Iam at a total loss as to what purpose this menu serves. In fact, thisleads into my most significant complaint about this aircraft: theTitan engine.

This may come as a shock to some, as the development team likelyput a great deal of effort into producing an accurate engine model forthis aircraft. While I certainly applaud ASDG and Sim Coders'efforts, I am disappointed that they took an experimental engine meantonly for Sport Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) and Experimental LightSport Aircraft (E-LSA) and put it into an FAA certified airplane. Tomy knowledge, no supplemental type certificate exists for theseengines to be mounted on a PA-18, so the inclusion of it with the ASDGSuper Cub is a real head scratcher and really hurts the plausibilityof the airplane for me. While it is possible to convert a certifiedairplane to an experimental in order to plop an experimental engineinto it, doing so would impose more restrictions than would be worthany potential upgrade in performance, such as passenger restrictionsand range limitations. The vast majority of Piper Super Cubs flyingaround the world are powered by certified Lycoming 0-320's and 0-340'sso I can't fathom why the Titan power plant was chosen instead.

Sounds

Before I get any further down the rabbit hole of gripes andcomplaints, I think it is prudent that I continue with the audioportion of the review.

Once I was ready to go for my first flight, I followed thechecklist to the letter and was able to start up the 180 hp tundramodel with no problems. The metallic snap of the switches, the whirof the fuel pump, and the roar of the engine as it came to life werepure ear candy as good as any I've heard before. The engine requiresabout 1000 RPM at idle or it will sputter and cough convincingly and awarning message will appear indicating that the spark plugs arefouling. Adjusting the HSI and altimeter produces an interestingshuffling sound that seemed a little out of place (and too loud) whencompared to the other sound files in the cockpit. I also found thatif I held down the mouse for a few seconds on the adjustment knobs,the noise would persist for a moment even after I released the mousepressure.

I really appreciate the 3D sounds of the ASDG Super Cub and thinkthat it lends a sense of authenticity and immersion to the file. Whenwearing headphones, however, I noticed that when I turned my "virtual"head within the cockpit, the engine noise would completely drop awayfrom whichever side was turned away from the front of the airplane.It seemed as though the 3D sounds were maybe too effective in thiscase.

Another point of note was that the engine noise sounded exactly thesame regardless of whether or not the cabin door was open. Iunderstand that rag and tube airplanes like Super Cub's don't have thequietest cockpits in the world, but I expected there to be some sortof volume change or wind noise with ASDG's rendition. Unfortunately,that was not the case.

Flight Model

Now that I had conducted some of the "business" end of things withthe sights and sounds of the ASDG Super Cub, I was finally ready totake my inaugural flight out of KMYL. Releasing the parking brake Ibegan taxiing from my spot on the ramp toward runway 34. Taxiingproved to be quite easy, though limited visibility over the noserequires some s-turns as is common with any tail dragger. When Ilooked left or right I could hear the big bush wheels as they rolledover the pavement and it almost made the hair on the back of my neckstand up! Pressing on the brakes produces a satisfying squeakingsound and further lends some audio authenticity to the file.

Once I was lined up on the runway, I set takeoff flaps, switched onthe fuel pump and landing light and slowly started to advance thethrottle. This would prove to be the last thing I did correctly formy first takeoff in the ASDG Super Cub. Advancing the throttle tofull power produced a tremendous amount of acceleration combined withan equally tremendous amount of torque. I was already loosingdirectional control of the airplane when I realized that I ought tohave been standing on the right rudder pedal instead of gentlypressing on it as if the darn thing were a Skyhawk. It was too late,however, and the aircraft careened off the runway and into the grass.

More than a little ashamed of myself, I steered the Super Cub backonto the runway and wondered if perhaps taking the 150 hp model wouldhave been a more prudent course of action for my first flight.Stubborn determination quickly put those thoughts out of mind as Ionce again poured on the coals and was at least able to keep theairplane on the runway this time. In seconds, the tail came up and aslight amount of backpressure sent the lightly loaded Super Cubhurtling into the air, even at such a high altitude airfield.Aviation journalists often describe bush planes and other lightaircraft with high power-to-weight ratios as "rocket ships" for theirimpressive climb performance. This sort of language is wellrecognized for its extremely cliche nature, but that was exactly whatI was thinking as I climbed out in the ASDG Super Cub. It wasdownright startling to be climbing at over 2000 fpm while stillaccelerating!

Once I had composed myself, I decided to get to business and set mymind to flying the pattern. I pulled back the prop lever for 2500 RPM(the 180 hp models have a constant speed prop) and reduced powerdramatically for level flight. With only a little bit of elevatortrim juggling, I flew a fairly stable approach and was impressed withhow quickly the aircraft slowed down with power reduction and thelarge two position flaps. This is an extremely draggy airplane whenyou need it to be which is helpful for dropping the airplane intotight backcountry airfields. With 6,108 feet of runway ahead of me,however, I knew that getting the Super Cub onto the ground shouldn'tbe a problem. I was correct and my first attempt at three-pointing alanding in the airplane resulted in a bit of a bounce but ultimatelymade up for my abysmal takeoff. I conducted several more takeoffs andlandings and was eventually able to clean up my poor technique so thatI was actually starting to get "good" with the airplane.

The next flight I took in the ASDG Super Cub was also launched outof McCall Municipal, but this time I was bound for 3U2 Johnson Creek,one of Idaho's most popular backcountry airstrips 26 nautical miles tothe east. This would give me a great opportunity to test theautopilot and cruise performance.

With standard day, no wind conditions plugged into X-Plane 11, Iclimbed to 8,900 feet once I was airborne and on course, and set theautopilot. This took a little bit of guesswork, as I was unable tofind any specific documentation regarding the use of the autopilot.Eventually I managed to figure it out, and completely guessed on thecruise power settings, of which the provided documentation is alsolacking. My guess is that the folks at ASDG were unable to findspecific performance numbers for a Titan X-340 equipped PA-18 becausethey simply don't exist. I set power for 17.52" of manifold pressure,2400 RPM and leaned the mixture. Cruise speed with this powersetting, tundra tires, and a cargo pod seemed very respectable ataround 119 KTAS. Unfortunately, there is no way to concretely comparethese numbers with an identically configured aircraft.

My landing at Johnson Creek was a really good one and it wasobvious that all the trial and error practicing back at McCall hadpaid off. I have found that flying the aircraft close to Vso on shortfinal produced the best three pointers, and once I established somegood visual references within the cockpit I was able to consistentlyland this airplane well.

I have since tested other regimes of flight to include steep turnsand stalls and overall I found the flight model to be one of the mostenjoyable aspects of this aircraft. I tested the 150 hp models bothwith conventional gear and bush wheels, and definitely found the climbperformance to be a bit anemic at higher altitudes. The simplicity ofthe 150 hp model is nice without the extra control for the constantspeed prop, but for serious bush and mountain flying I highlyrecommend the 180 hp model. It is a "go anywhere" type of airplane.

I flew the 180 hp amphibian out for a test flight out of S10 LakeChelan Airport in Washington State and landed it on the lake. Evenlightly loaded with only a single pilot, the Mass and Balance menuindicated that the airplane was outside of CG. I took off in theaircraft regardless, but eventually ran out of elevator trim justtrying to keep the plane level. I was able to successfully landASDG's amphibian variant on the lake, but, honestly, float flying inX-Plane just isn't my thing and I didn't explore the apparent weightand balance issue any further.

Graphical Performance

Testing the graphical performance of a file is always a difficulttask as there are so many variables involved. Everyone has adifferent computer and everyone runs their graphics settingsdifferently. I have a decent mid range iMac with a 3.6 GHz Intel Corei7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a Radeon Pro 560 4096 MB graphicscard. I run my X-Plane 11 graphics at what I would considermedium-high settings so that I get good looking scenery combined withgood airplane performance. Configured thus, I found the ASDG SuperCub to be a little heavy on the frame rates from the cockpit,especially when compared with some other high quality aircraft fromwell-known development teams. My frames were in the low 20's in thecockpit but improved to the low 30's outside of the aircraft, all withclear weather selected. So far, the ASDG Super Cub is the mostresource demanding aircraft I have yet to review for X-Plane 11.

Conclusion

The ASDG Piper Super Cub definitely has its high points and lowpoints. I hope that I have documented them clearly throughout thisreview and that any criticisms I have of the file are seen as myhonest experiences and opinions based upon the knowledge andexperience I have accrued over the past few years I've been doingthis.

Overall, I came away not as impressed with the file as I thought Iwould be and it just didn't live up to the hype I had imparted on it.Another reason for my lack of enthusiasm probably has to do with thefact that I am extremely picky and want development teams to produceperfect or near perfect files. No one wants to spend their hardearned money on something they will ultimately be disappointed in andI do everyone a disservice if I am dishonest with my opinions in areview. My desire is for development teams to be the absolute bestthey can be and turn out highly realistic and immersive products thatwill be appealing to their consumer base. Those are the types offiles I want to buy.

The ASDG Super Cub is not an inexpensive add-on at $42.95 USD.Granted, the file includes essentially four different airplanes, allwith different flight models, so it is undeniably a good value. Idon't dislike the ASDG Super Cub; in fact, despite all itsshortcomings, I still think it is one of the better bush planescurrently available for X-Plane 11. It just didn't "scratch the itch"that I wanted it to for me.

Shawn Weigelt

ASDG Web Site