Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight Aircraft

Sim notesWith the wonderful control harmony that is the hallmark of the Bonanza line, the Beech Baron 58 is considered a classic light twin. The Baron 58 is a spiffed-up version of a time-tested favorite made modern by its new Continental Special engines. The Baron combines the attractiveness of Beechcraft design with the reliability of twin engines, resulting in a gorgeous workhorse of an aircraft. - from the manual

Sim notesWith more than 5,000 delivered, there is no other turbine-powered business aircraft that can match the success of the Beech King Air. At times, nearly 90 percent of the cabin-class turboprops in the world have been King Airs. Designed as a turbine-powered alternative to the Queen Air, the King Air eventually supplanted the Queen Air as the number one choice in executive turboprops. - from the manual

Sim notesThe Bell 206 series has accumulated an astounding array of impressive statistics. More than 6,000 JetRangers are flying worldwide in roles as diverse as corporate transportation, police surveillance, and United States Army aviation training. The series has flown over 26 million flight hours, and a few JetRangers are flying with more than 30,000 hours on their airframes. - from the manual

Sim notesOne should hardly be surprised that the world's most prolific manufacturer of commercial aircraft is also the producer of the world's most popular jetliner. The 737 became the best-selling commercial jetliner worldwide when orders for it hit 1,831 in June 1987 (surpassing Boeing's own 727 as the previous champ). However, it wasn't always that way; in the first few years of production, there were so few orders that Boeing considered canceling the program. They didn't, and the airplane has more than proven itself in over three decades of service. - from the manual

Sim notesMore than 30 years ago, the 747 made its first trip from New York to London. Since then, it's become the standard by which other large passenger jets are judged. Its size, range, speed, and capacity were then, and are now, the best in its class. The 747-400 model was first introduced in 1985. The first -400 was delivered to Northwest Airlines four years later. It was designed to extend the already excellent capacity and range of the original 747, and, using lighter aluminum alloys and hardware adapted from the 757 and 767, it met its goal. Beginning in May 1990, the 747-400 became the only 747 currently in production, which has been an ongoing testament to its success. - from the manual

Sim notesOn the outside, it may resemble the jetliners you've seen for years. Inside, however, it's a whole new bird. The newest plane in the long and proud Boeing family line is the 777, commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven." This long-range, fuel-efficient twinjet was first delivered in May 1995 to fill a gap in the market between the 747 and 767. It is capable of seating 368 to 386 passengers. - from the manual

Sim notesThe Model 45 is Learjet's first all-new aircraft since Bill Lear's first Model 23. Although it looks like a Learjet, it has only half the parts of a Model 35, reflecting a significant design progression. The parameters set down for the 45 called for it to have the performance of the Learjet 35, the handling of the Learjet 31A, and greater cabin space than the competition. This is Learjet's first paperless airplane, designed entirely on a computer screen. In some cases, the computer design files are loaded directly into production milling machines, which allows for an exceptional degree of precision in manufacturing (especially important when major parts that have to fit together are made on different continents!). This reduces not only time in construction but also the rate of rejection of parts (inherent in any manufacturing process). - from the manual

Sim notesCessna Caravan C208 Amphibian | Wherever you want to go, the Cessna Caravan can get you there. First introduced by Cessna in 1985, the Caravan was designed to land nearly anywhere, on land or water. Undoubtedly, it has lived up to its creators' intentions. Whether supplies need to be brought to a flooded village in the mountains of Peru, an injured person needs to be flown out from a remote lake in Alaska, or an archaeologist wants access to a tiny site in the African desert, the Caravan has what's needed to do the job. - from the manual

Sim notesCessna Grand Caravan | In the initial design of the Caravan, Cessna took the fuselage of a Model 207 Stationair and enlarged it. However, it didn't take Cessna long to realize that in order to create a plane that provided enough cargo and fuel-carrying space, they'd have to start from close to scratch. They used sections of the 207 in the first prototype, but the ultimate design of the Caravan had no real predecessor. - from the manual

Sim notesCessna Skyhawk SP Model 172 | This isn't the aviation equivalent of some cheap date you'll be taking out for one wild, adventurous weekend. The Cessna 172 is more like the love of your life-a steady, constant companion to fly with for a long time to come. A stable and trustworthy plane, most pilots have logged at least a few hours in a Cessna 172, since it's the most widely available aircraft in the rental fleet and is used by most flight schools. Since the first prototype was completed in 1955, more than 35,000 C172s have been produced, making it the world's most popular single-engine plane. One of Cessna's first tricycle-gear airplanes, the 172 quickly became the favorite of a growing class of business pilots. Its reliability and easy handling (along with thoughtful engineering and structural updates) have ensured its continued popularity for more than 35 years. - from the manual

Sim notesCessna Skylane Model 182S | When Cessna saw how well their Model 180 was selling, they looked for a way to make it an even bigger success; the answer was the Model 182. The 182 first flew in 1956, and its big advancement was the patented Land-O-Matic tricycle-landing gear (weren't the fifties grand?), which make landing and ground handling easier, attracting would-be pilots who didn't want to fly taildraggers. During the model's lifespan, it has been beefed up, modified, and released in retractable-gear (RG) and turbo-charged (T) versions. Like all the Cessna piston aircraft, production of the 182 was halted in 1986 due to market forces and the high price of product liability insurance premiums. Now the 182 is back in a new incarnation. - from the manual

Sim notesThrough the late 1960s and much of the 1970s, one aircraft stood apart as the world's highest performance multiseat sailplane: the Schweizer SGS 2-32. Many world soaring records were set in 2-32s in both men's and women's categories, including a distance run of 505 miles. In the early 1960s, it was apparent that European manufacturers were beginning to cut into SAC's position as the premier builder of high-performance sailplanes. The European companies could build quality aircraft at 50 percent of the labor costs of the U.S. manufacturer and deliver them to U.S. shores at a price that Schweizer couldn't match. In order to compete, Schweizer had to produce a superior aircraft. - from the manual

Sim notesAlmost without funding and perhaps naive in their ambition, two bicycle shop owners changed history with the first powered flight in a craft scarcely worthy of praise as lofty as "rudimentary"... at least to modern eyes. Difficult to control and incapable of carrying more than 150 pounds including even the pilot, the Wright Flyer bettered other, bigger (and lavishly funded) engineering teams then working to solve the riddles of powered, controlled flight. - from the manual

Sim notesBetween 1915 and 1920, more than 10,000 Jennys were built, making the Curtiss JN-4D the first aircraft produced in large numbers. More than 9,000 pilots -- 95% of all American pilots at the time -- learned to fly in the Army Air Corps in World War 1. When the war ended in 1919, the Army had little use for the trainers, and sold them for ridiculously low prices. Almost without delay, the barnstorming era was born. - from the manual

Sim notesPurpose-built by British Manufacturer deHavilland to win the MacRobertson Maidenhall to Melbourne race for 10,000 Australian pounds, the DH-88 Comet looks like a speed demon to this day. Made entirely of wood (except for the engines and landing gear), the Comet carried all of its fuel in the fuselage ahead of the cockpit. This allowed for very thin, dagger-like wings... and very limited forward visibility. - from the manual

Sim notesThe DC-3 introduced the basic amenities we associate with modern passenger air travel, as well as performance optimized for cargo hauling. Some DC-3s still see use today as going air freight liners. Never before had passengers enjoyed insulation, heat, or running water aloft, but the first widely manufactured Douglas Commercial aircraft changed that. - from the manual

Sim notesIf airplanes were horses, the Extra 300S would be a champion thoroughbred. It is, in fact, designed to be a champion in Unlimited class aerobatic competitions. The 300S combines light weight, a 300-horsepower engine, and exquisite control harmony in an aircraft that has won several World Aerobatic Championships. A derivative of the two-place model 300, the wing of the single-place 300S was lowered eight inches to provide better ground visibility and improve the general appearance of the aircraft. After this anxiously awaited model was introduced in March 1992, three of the four existing production aircraft were flown in the World Championship that July. - from the manual

Sim notesTranscontinental Air Transport made headlines in 1929 when it reduced the travel time between New York and Los Angeles to a mere 48 hours, shuttling passengers by Ford Tri-Motor during the day and by train at night. Those who could afford the sojourn paid dearly for their tickets, and in return made a trip both elegant and revolutionary, as well as monumentally uncomfortable. - from the manual

Sim notesSleek, aerodynamic and almost 80% faster than its closest competition in the 20s, the Vega could travel up to 2,500 miles without refueling if its cabin was modified to carry extra tanks, 1,000 miles with paying passengers aboard. Nearly every notable pilot of the day flew the Vega, using the theretofore unprecedented combination of speed and range to set record after record. - from the manual

Sim notesMooneys are built to go fast. A focus on speed seems natural for a company that at one time offered a plane powered by a Porsche engine. Although the partnership with the Germans didn't last, Mooney's commitment to speed certainly has. In keeping with this idea, Mooney has experimented with a number of "big engine" models. The Bravo is Mooney's fastest; with 270 hp all the way to 25,000 ft, the Bravo can attain speeds up to 220 KTAS, making it the fastest single-engine airplane currently produced. - from the manual

Sim notesSmall, light, relatively inexpensive and above all else a masterpiece of simplicity, probably no other airplane embodies recreational and small-plane flight than the Piper Cub. Weighing just over 1,000 pounds fully loaded and fueled, the Cub was so light that pilots flying solo had to sit in the back seat to maintain equal weight distribution. - from the manual

Sim notesAfter the Vimy crossing, an American restaurenteur offered $25,000 to the first crew to cross the more arduous route from New York to Paris. Eight years later the prize was still awaiting claim when Lindbergh hurried ahead of other teams aiming for the lucre. - from the manual

Sim notesIn some quarters Linbergh's solo crossing of the Atlantic seems today somewhat more famous than the first non-stop crossing in 1919. The Vickers Vimy made a far more harrowing version of the trip first, albeit with two men aboard. The Vimy's wings span 68 feet -- of wood and fabric. With primitive instruments, unreliable mechanicals, and an open cockpit, Jack Alcock and Arthur Brown flew from Newfoundland to Ireland. - from the manual