Perhaps best known recently for their Pilatus PC12/47, Shade Tree Micro Aviation has been involved in X-Plane add-on development for almost a decade, and over the years they’ve made some excellent aircraft files that have taken on almost legendary status in the community. Shade Tree, or STMA, developed into the team we know today through the efforts of Jim McNeil, known on most forums as “PapaMac”, and McNeil has put serious effort into recruiting talented programmers and designers, most having deep “real world” flying experience, and it is this real world experience that has come to define their product line. When you fly an STMA aircraft you’re buying first and foremost a flight model that’s in good measure based on this “hands-on” experience, and as you’ll soon understand this expertise has over time proven to be an invaluable asset to the community.
So, STMA is a team affair, and these interview questions were passed around a bit so each team member could provide relevant information, and we’ve differentiated responses with [parentheticals] so you’ll know who’s speaking, so to speak. That said, it’s time to sit back and get comfortable, grab a cup of java and we’ll see what’s going on with one of the “big guns” in XP development, and at the same time we’ll be looking at two of their latest revised efforts, and while both are on the cusp of release and both are sweet, one is an absolute knock out, so let’s take a look…
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xp+10+reviews: Could we start this off by having you tell us just what Shade Tree Micro Aviation is, how it all began, and what types of files are being made by your team for X-Plane?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] Shade Tree Micro Aviation (STMA) is an association of like-minded X-Plane enthusiasts with the skills to make competitive payware models. Our stated business goal is to have fun turning out quality X-Plane models.
In the beginning there was just me. Ten years ago I discovered X-Plane while looking for a simulator program to help me maintain my flying, and particularly instrument skills, while recovering from a helicopter ground mishap. Not finding the models I wanted to fly, I learned to use Plane_Maker to create the aircraft I had most recently been flying and released them as freeware. They were well received and people started asking for other models.
Believing there was a market for reasonably priced payware models, I started STMA in association with Shannon Boatman, the creator of our Lear 35 model. Shannon has since left us to pursue other interests.
I believe that one major reason our models are in demand is that I, like the rest of our team, can draw on years of experience (and all of the tools made available by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) online) to design models which are as faithful to the real aircraft as our modeling skills permit. Over the years we’ve built custom and retail models for many organizations like Precision Flight Controls, a major flight simulator manufacturer; the General Dynamics flight department; Samson MotorWorks who are developing the Switchblade, a flying car; the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum; The Medallion Foundation, the organization that works with Alaska’s bush pilots to improve aviation safety in that State; and ERA Alaska, one of Alaska’s premier regional air carriers. It’s the aircraft used by these latter organizations, the bush planes such as the Super Cub, Husky, Beaver, Otter, Cessna singles, Piper PA31T Cheyenne II, Beech BE-1900, and the Pilatus PC-12, which form the core of our business.
xp+10+reviews: Most people currently in XP, perhaps even just starting out and new to the SIM, know STMA for your Pilatus PC12, but did you start out wanting to model GA aircraft, or commercial jets? What files really got you on your way?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] As I indicated above, the earliest models we did were of aircraft I had been flying (Piper PA-31T Cheyenne II, the A-star AS350BA) or had flown while I was on active duty in the U.S. Army (Beaver, Otter, and O-1G BirdDog). After that, we did and still do models which interest us (Lear 35, OV-10 Bronco, F-86e Sabrejet, U-2S, Kaman K-1200 K-Max) and models for which we were paid or which fit in our core bush aircraft set (Super Cub, A-1A Husky, updated Beaver, Otters, Beech BE-1900C & D, Pilatus PC-12,).
xp+10+reviews: What are some of your favorite files, and what makes them so?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] Wow! They’re almost all my favorites for one reason or another. The ones that stand out right now include the Cheyenne II because it’s an airplane I flew professionally for several years; and the BirdDog, Beaver, and Otters; the Cessna C-182M because it models my personal airplane; the Pilatus PC-12 because it’s so realistic and has such potential for future development; the K-MAX because I love flying helos and Todd and Ben did such a wonderful job creating a beautiful model and great adventures to fly it in; the Husky because, with Todd’s assistance, it flies so beautifully and is the epitome of a bush plane. I’m sure the other guys have their own favorites.
xp+10+reviews: Can you tell us a bit about the team members now? What their backgrounds are, and what they bring to the team that makes you stronger as a whole? And just what do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of the “team” approach to model development?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] All of the STMA folks are extremely bright, multi-talented x-planers. Over the years we’ve had several quality model makers and graphics artists join us for a period of time or for specific projects. Among them, Shannon Boatman, Peter Fischer, Roger Mark, and Will “Amerir” Davies. Currently our lineup consists of a bunch of really bright, multi-talented guys who appear to be in for the long haul, including Bob “Blue Side Up, Bob” Feaver, who excels at making unique and highly sought after plugins, Kerry “Kezza” Cross, who creates exquisite skins, instruments, and other graphics, Todd Denning, long-time pilot and flight instructor, who creates models and is starting to create unique skins, and who is also just learning to program plugins. Also just joining us is Ben Whiteside, the author of X-Adventures, who is a skilled programmer and 3D modeler. And Mark Roberts, our webmaster and customer support guy. All of us can do at least some of the other guy’s jobs, but the whole idea of this association was to let everybody do what they enjoy doing.
The only weakness that I can think of to the team approach is that some of us have day jobs and/or family obligations which have to come first, so there are times when progress is slowed but since, as I stated earlier, the whole idea is to have fun nobody complains. Here’s the lineup:
[Jim:] I spent 20 years as a military aviator, 6 working for the military as a civilian pilot, and over 14 as a flight school and charter operator, air ambulance pilot, and designated pilot examiner (DPE). For the last 9 years I’ve been running STMA and teaching my grandkids to fly and flying recreationally in my Cessna 182. In the past I’ve done the vast majority of Plane_Maker and 3D modeling of our models, really concentrating on getting the flight characteristics and systems modeled as accurately as possible. I’ve done a little of the graphics work but most of the guys think that a 4 year old with crayons does a better job than I do so I limit my graphics contributions to creating flight instruments and doing minor touchups. I can program but haven’t done any for the last 10 years but because it’s such an important part of the X-Plane art I have started cracking my C++ books again.
[Bob Feaver:] Bob is probably the single most powerful focusing force in the company …. Keeping us on track! Bob is well known on X-Plane sites as “Blue Side Up, Bob” and he has been with us from 2007. He’s our resident plug-in expert, having authored such unique creations as ChaseViewDeluxe external view and camera platform and HangarOps which animates hangar doors and allows you to push back and turn your airplane around. Bob is the author of the unique animated pilot and passenger figures that appear in all STMA models. His favourite projects combine custom animations with plugins to create classic instruments like the Earth Inductor Compass found in the Southern Cross. When not applying his X-Plane skills he is busy with his family, playing stand-up bass, and enjoying the outdoor life at his lake-side home north of Toronto.
[Kerry Cross:] Kerry came to our attention because he wanted to recreate the famous flight of the Fokker “Southern Cross” across the Pacific Ocean from California to Australia and needed somebody to design the model. We took up the challenge in partnership with Heinz Dzuirowitz. Kerry did the skin and so impressed us that we offered him a position, and he has forty-three years under the belt as a designer of many persuasions. For 13 years an automotive industrial designer with GM Holden in Melbourne Australia, he then got involved in both 2D and 3D computer graphics in the eighties and has operated his graphic design company using computer technology ever since. “After seeing a flight simulator on a Silicon Graphics machine back then, I became totally hooked on flight sims, then discovered X-Plane in 2005.” Mostly involved in the graphics side and developing new aircraft skins for STMA at this stage, he plans to venture into 3D modelling when time permits. “Spare time is for my kids, family and friends and at the end of the day, X-Planing through the virtual skies.”
[Todd Denning:] Todd introduced himself to us as a volunteer consultant to the Husky project and decided to join in for other projects. He is a CFII/MEI, holder of an Airline Transport Pilot rating, and a USPA D-license Expert parachutist. “I also spent 20 years as a military aviator and weapons instructor in fighters. When I retired from flying fighters I became an airline pilot and CFII/MEI. My current work is in the area of multi-disciplinary simulation and training while I wait for the airline call up again. I have come to value X-Plane simulation as a result of being a formal training developer in the military and seeing what quality simulation could do for my own skill retention. I joined STMA because they produce the best model of an Aviat Husky. I have one and I commented to Jim about how good it was through the STMA site. After conversing for a bit with Jim and swapping some cockpit photos I joined the team. I fly and teach off-airport and mountain flying operations regularly in my own Husky and I am currently working the revised OV-10 Bronco for release and will update the Husky to XP10 as an A-1C, and with all of the hottest aftermarket modifications that real pilots want. I build flight models, 3D shells and cockpits, do graphics/textures, build scenery kits for the planes to fly in, and now I am writing plug-in code. I have many more models in the queue for the future.”
[Ben Whitehead:] “I fell in love with aviation at age 11 in Anchorage Alaska, where I grew up. I managed to spend as much time with pilots as possible, becoming close friends with the son of ERA Alaska’s chief pilot, thereby scoring some great check out rides on various helicopters on the weekends. My dreams of entering the Air-Force and becoming a pilot were stalled when my vision degraded to less than perfect, so I turned to the study of aeronautics and electrical engineering. I learned CAD and 3D modeling as a part of the engineering curriculum, and found a way to work as a part-time designer to work my way through school. I am currently a professional software/hardware engineer developing storage solutions, specifically Solid State Disk Drives, or SSDs. If your computer can load X-Plane in four seconds, you probably have one. I discovered X-Plane in 2008, having been an MsFS guy before then, and promptly discovered plugin writing. With that, the dream of working in aviation was suddenly reborn for me, and I’ve been happily writing plugins since then.”
[Mark Roberts:] Mark is a retired U.S. Army NCO with 22 years of service, and he’s one of the most talented IT folks I’ve ever worked with. We’re really fortunate to have him on our team. He is the one that keeps our site up and hopefully all the links working, and he’s the “goto” guy if you find anything not working correctly. He hangs his hat in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
xp+10+reviews: Would you tell us a bit about the Pilatus? Why did you chose this aircraft to model, and what new features or qualities did you hope to bring to the market?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] The initial PC-12 was done as a contract model for a flight safety organization which we did with the agreement that we could retail it. We wanted it to be as state of the art as we could make it. A Swiss PC-12 pilot (who prefers to remain nameless) joined us to do the vast majority of the instrument integration/programming for the PC-12/47, and as a result of his work procedures are so realistic we can use the PC-12 flight manual as the reference for cockpit management in the SIM.
xp+10+reviews: What are the plans for the Pilatus going into XP10 and 2012…and beyond?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] We’re working on a PC-12NG (glass cockpit) for release sometime in the XP10 run. Lots of technological challenges to fit a usable glass cockpit onto the available space which X-Plane permits. We’re hopeful that we can produce a useable cockpit but doubt that it will exactly match the NG’s avionics. It will probably be more akin to a Garmin-based set of panels.
xp+10+reviews: Do you use plugins to achieve advanced functionality in your ACF, and if so do you develop your own plugins, or rely on other established systems?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] Yes to all of that! We try to use whatever works best. Bob Feaver and Ben Whitehead are geniuses at creating plugins which add great value to our models and to X-Plane in general. Just look at Bob’s STMA dock in the PC-12, ChaseView Deluxe (CVD), & TrackerXP; and Ben’s X-Adventures.
xp+10+reviews: Can you tell us about some current projects? What models, what new key features will be included?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] We’re trying to balance our work between updating existing models and developing new ones. We’re on the cusp of releasing new versions of our OV-10 Broncos (Todd’s work) and the original piston Otter, P&W PT6-powered turbine otter, and the Garrett TPE-332-powered Super Otter (Mine). And we’re working on a Convair CV-580 model and a Diamond DA-42 Twinstar model which will have a glass cockpit.
xp+10+reviews: What kinds of issues is X-Plane 10 presenting to your team as a development platform? What tools do you most need NOW to ramp up work converting older files to XP10?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] We need Austin to quit changing things around! We just discovered that he’s removed the gear doors design utility which we believe will cause problems when converting legacy 3D models to XP10 standards.
xp+10+reviews: What design tools does the team rely on?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] We all use X-Plane’s Plane_Maker and Airfoil_Maker utilities for basic design work and have adopted AC3D as our standard 3D modeling program.
xp+10+reviews: Would it be fair to say that developing SIMs for various organizations and airlines forms a real core of your business.
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] I didn’t mean to imply that custom design work is THE core of our business. It does provide a sizable income at times but the real core of our business is retail sales and, of course, our plugin work.
xp+10+reviews: Could you tell us about the challenges facing your team when contracted to develop an ACF as a reference SIM for a customer – vs simply making an ACF for the “fun of it”?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] Really, there’s not much difference. We try to build all of our models as accurately as possible. Sometimes we have to make design compromises because X-Plane either doesn’t support particular functions or because it makes no economic sense to spend the time to make things like 3D rivets, etc., but we never skimp on the flight dynamics. We like to think that, and the reasonable prices we charge for models, is why we’ve built a loyal customer base.
xp+10+reviews: Do you generally have broad access to aircraft to take measurements from, or get manufacturers information directly to assist in the design process, as a part of your design efforts?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] Absolutely. We always try to use every scrap of information we can gather when we build. We won’t build a model unless we have access to the type certificate data sheet (TCDS) and at least the pilot operating handbook (POH, approved flight manual (AFM), or equivalent document. Over the last 40+ years I’ve developed a large library of aircraft manuals, as have others of our group, and I have a large circle of acquaintances who either have the manuals I don’t have or know where they can be found. There are also several websites where operator and maintenance manuals can be found for just about any aircraft for a reasonable price. When we design custom models we use customer-provided data to ensure that the model accurately reflects their particular aircraft and because the manuals for some of these aircraft are quite expensive.
One of the most difficult builds we’ve done was the Fokker F-VII Trimotor known as the Southern Cross. Very little remains in print about this aircraft and it took a tremendous amount of digging, analysis of old photos, inquiries to the museum which houses the original aircraft, etc, to come up with enough information to accurately design the model. From the positive comments we’ve received, I think we succeeded.
xp+10+reviews: And how do you go about flight testing these “contracted” products, as it seems the end product MUST be extraordinarily accurate to be of real use?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] Both Todd and I are very experienced pilots and have flown a broad selection of airplanes and helicopters. Bob has experience flying light sport airplanes and flies extensively as a passenger in bush planes. The other guys have extensive ties to aviation in one form or another and are all experienced X-Planers. We also have a corps of Beta testers who are experienced pilots, and we can usually find somebody within our circles of acquaintances who has flown the same or similar model of aircraft to the one being tested. When we design a custom model, the customer almost always provides a qualified test pilot to assist with the project.
xp+10+reviews: There is unusual depth of real world experience in your team. Would it be fair to say that as a result of this experience STMA has been able to focus on developing flight models that accurately represent real aircraft?
[Papa Mac Says:] As I stated above, we always strive to create as accurate a model as we can. We’re all constantly learning how to be better modelers and you can see that learning process by comparing our earliest models to our latest ones. At times our “eye candy” hasn’t been as good as we’d like it to be, but the one thing we refuse to skimp on is making sure that the core model is accurate. It’s been said that our models always fly like the real article. That comes from paying attention to details.
One other point is that we don’t just design a model and then forget it. As X-Plane evolves and as we learn new techniques, we constantly review our models and either remove them from inventory (we’ve donated several to X-Plane.org for give-aways and special promotions) or upgrade them, which is what we’re doing with our OV-10 and Otter models. We also promise to fix bugs for the life of the models.
xp+10+reviews: Could you provide a few examples of how you use your own experience in the design process?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] I think I have! Even though it’s fun to us, we take designing a model seriously. One major thing we do that many designers don’t is that our models are built starting from Datum. The datum point is the location, usually at or in front of the nose of the aircraft, from which all measurements are made. Designing from datum allows us to accurately position aircraft components without having to do a lot mental gyrations or approximations, which translates into the model flying properly.
xp+10+reviews: And do you feel this reservoir of experience somehow differentiates your ACF from other products in the SIM market?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] We like to think that we’re among the top X-Plane modelers but I’m not going to say that we’re the best. Brett Sumpter, Jason Chandler, and Heinz Dzuirowitz, among others, turn out quality models and I’d never knock what they do. Payware modelers are a small fraternity and we talk to & help each other overcome obstacles. As I mentioned earlier, we actively mentor promising modelers, which is how Todd came to join us, and we are always willing to answer questions and share our techniques with anybody who asks. Our goal is to improve the overall quality of all X-Plane models, regardless of who creates them.
xp+10+reviews: If you feel it appropriate, could you discuss some of your experiences in Vietnam that relate to the aircraft you’ve created? For instance, what aircraft did you fly, what types of missions, and perhaps if applicable, how did these events shape your outlook while working on new aircraft files?
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] For the first half of my tour I flew O-1A, D & G BirdDogs and the U-6 (DHC-2) Beaver as a member of the 1st Cavalry Division. This was a combat role which included reconnaissance, aerial observation, and target identification/forward air control. We were called target identification pilots (TIP), which was the Army’s equivalent of a forward air controller, and because the Air Force was extremely jealous of us calling ourselves FAC, so of course we did it anyway to irritate them. During the 2nd half of the extended tour, I flew U-1A (DHC-3) Otters for the 18th Aviation Company (Low, Slow, & Reliable) in the I and II Corps area of operations. We were a combat support company which meant that we did everything from radio relay, to hauling passengers in and out of remote airfields, to general ash and trash hauling.
I was a civilian pilot before becoming an Army pilot, flying light airplanes from an airport in the middle of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, which is where I gained an appreciation for “bush” type flying. My Army experiences refined that appreciation. Over the years I had opportunities to go to work for airlines but decided that I liked the excitement and variety offered by military aviation and later on by charter, corporate, and air ambulance work. The other guys, as you can see from their bio’s, have followed similar career paths. All those experiences translate into the types of models we like to build.
xp+10+reviews: What do you hope to achieve over the next few months to a year, and where do you see X-Plane 10 going over the near term.
STMA: [Papa Mac Says:] We think the move away from the 2-dimensional cockpit will continue, which will make plugins like our TrackerXP a real necessity, and we expect to see more extensive use of touch-screen capabilities. For payware models I think the overarching watchword will be realism: If it doesn’t look real and doesn’t act real, reviewers will tear the work to pieces. One of X-Plane’s strengths is that almost anybody can use Plane_Maker to create a model, so a strong freeware model base will continue to grow. As for where XP10 is going, that’s something best taken up with Austin Meyer or by checking Ben Supnik’s blogs. We aren’t privy to what their plans are.
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Our thanks to Jim and all the team at STMA for putting up with our incessant questions this week, but we thought this was an interview that needed a thorough going over. STMA is a formidable teaming of talented, experienced individuals who are committed to improving their skills and sharing their efforts; the products they offer the community as a result of their ongoing commitment are really coming into their own these days, and if you’ve not taken a look at their catalogue recently, these two revisions may make you want to reconsider that decision. And, well, the very idea of an updated PC12/NG ought to make a lot of you weak in the knees – it did me!
In the course of preparing for this posting, Jim offered Beta copies of the OV10 and Otter packages (which contains nine, yes NINE distinct ACF), and the OV10 ACF was an XP10 file, while the Otters were for 9.70. I had absolutely zero interest in the Otter when I received this file and dove right into the OV10 download and got to work.
If you’re unfamiliar with this aircraft (the real one), you ought to just pause for a moment and read this entry in Wikipedia, as the history and operational concepts behind this aircraft are simply outrageous, fascinating, and well, would probably make a really good movie. It’s a tribute to North American Aviation that they had the steel to get behind this project and make it happen, and it’s equally important to note that STMA has done a bang-up job with this latest revision of their ACF. The cockpit and front panel exhibit very nice attention to detail, and the exterior is simply excellent. Let’s take a look:
The OV10A was the original variant of the aircraft and what the USAF ACF included in this package is based upon. The USMC -D model cockpit is imaged below, and is the second variant included in the download.
The CALFire fire-spotting variant is the third model in the package and has both a radically different panel and is of course unarmed.
The Marine -D model has a slightly different profile and panel, and a camera installation on the central panel.
Below, skimming the waves with the USAF variant…
…and hanging inverted in the -D model.
And below, more of the USMC variant at the pumps. Don’t forget to clean that windshield, buddy!
I have to say I’ve been looking forward to this ACF since learning about it’s (re)development many months ago, and even in Beta form it’s lived up to expectations. When the final revised ACF is released we’ll try to get a review up for you, but for now I think it fair to say that this ACF includes some of STMA’s best panel work to date, the flight model is solid – yet the STOL handling will probably take you by surprise, and framerates were excellent.
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As related above, I really had no interest in this aircraft when we received a copy from Jim. I don’t have any Beavers for that matter either, and never have been interested in floaties, despite having enjoyed the film Six Days, Seven Nights. That probably comes from growing up in Texas and the resulting deeply ingrained belief that the only things belonging on the water are ducks and bass boats. Well, the Hydroz PBY Catalina put a dent in that armor, and this Otter has kicked the stuffing out of those cherished, long-held beliefs, too. As a matter of fact, this revised ACF comes as close to being a perfect all-around GA hauler as you’ll find in XP, and with the options to use wheels, skis or floats, piston engine or one of two turbine powered variants… Well, all these choices simply put this package in a class of it’s own.
Naturally I opened the radial powered version (ahem, with wheels) and puttered all around El Hierro and Vancouver, and then I ventured back to Treasure Island in Tom Curtis’s freshly revised Golden Gate package – but this time with floats – and expecting the worst.
Well, let me wrap up this part of the story by saying this was about as much fun as you can have with your pants on. The night panel on this Otter is so crisp and clear in v9.70 – and subtly colored as well – that it’s a pure joy to use, but it was the handling and operational characteristics of the float variant that captured my imagination and held my interest for hours and hours. This is an immersive, challenging (yet ultimately easy to handle) ACF that has just moved up into my Top Ten list. Yep, it’s that fun. I guess that loud noise out back was another tower of cherished beliefs tumbling to the ground. Oh, well… C’est la vie.
So, the Otter. Think of the DHC-2 Beaver, only bigger, but here’s an even better analogy. Think of a real beaver, the furry, wood munching animal kind, finding it’s way into a storeroom full of beaver chow – and testosterone.
Okay, got that image in mind?
Because that’s the DHC-3 Otter.
Look at the Otter and the ATR-72-500 below. This is a HUGE single, true, but if STMA had modeled it carelessly my guess is you’d have little interest in this one. Well, after spending a week with this ACF I can tell you that “careless” isn’t in this ACFs vocabulary, nor in STMA’s. The ACF has a fair amount of WOW! factor included every where you look too, but it’s simply a fun aircraft to wrap your head around.
And the turbine powered variants are relative barn burners, as it turns out. Even with floats these Otters get up off the water and scoot right on up to altitude in a hurry, and flying these around the Bay Area was, once again, more fun than I’ve had in XP in a long, long time. This package seems destined to be nirvana for folks into the Inside Passage package, but the Otter will be right at home in both the Boeing Country and Golden Gate packages, as well as Jacques Brault’s numerous Canadian lakefront airports.
Yeah…I’m stoked about this one! Sorry…
These were (well, are) versatile aircraft, and while many originally found their way into military service most still surviving are bush operators or hauling passengers around Puget Sound or along the B.C. coast. And as there are provisions to add a Garmin 430 and an A/P to these panels if longer flights are in your sights, in the process turning these into useful, Alaska-style “RJs”, well…are you going to complain about that? Remember RoyalOak’s Alaskan seaplane bases out in the Aleutians?
You want details? Well… You’ll find opening doors, tie-downs, pitot covers – all the things we think of when we look at the latest Carenado – but here in these Otters, and everything has been modeled carefully and crisply. And I’m sure there will be a few complaints that the panels aren’t fully loaded with a full complement of 3D objects, but the framerates in XP10 were fluid and smooth, and in 9.70 the SIM was just perfect and frames were too. Panning around the cockpit was so fluid and stutter-free I did a double take the first time I was in this ‘pit.
I took these ACF into XP10 to shoot many of the images in this post and aside from a few lighting and popup issues they handled quite well (and consider, these were Beta files), so with a relative few tweaks these all ought to be fully functional in XP10 very soon indeed, but even as is they’re a blast to use in 10, and gorgeous.
So, with cherished beliefs all in a rumbling pile out back, I’ve got to say that as much as I liked the OV10 for me the WASP powered Otter carried the day. Odds are real good I’ll be spending more that a fair amount of time in both of these, and once again, we’ll try to have a review(s) out for you when the final files are released. For now, the OV10 package has just been released at the Org, price 24.95USD; we’ll advise when the revised Otters are turned loose.
Well, this is it. The end of the trail today…so pardon our dust as we clean the wing and head south for Chaos Manor. Time for a pear cider, guys, cause I got 400 cases in back, and I’ll get there just as soon as I get tired of flying this Otter.
Jim… Kerry…and the rest of the guys at STMA: Thanks! Y’all done good.
And we’ll see the rest of y’all soon, with more news and ‘views. As always, thanks for coming along. – Chip
Nice and informative Chip, Just d/loading the Bronco now. I have the Beaver and there is fun to be had in that one too.
I think you’ll like the Bronco, Kev. And that wasn’t the Beaver, Wally
I know the difference between an otter and a Beaver ‘n’ I’m telling you I have the beaver (ask the wife !)
It comes with a canoe too (the mind boggles)
Uh, as long as we’re not talking about
“I have the Beaver and there is fun to be had in that one too.” You speak the truth there, Kev, nothing better when in the mood for some low, slow and reliable.
You were right about the STOL of the OV-10, it sure gets airborne quick ! and it will float down onto the deck of the Nimitz at 80kts and stop only using half the deck and that’s without an arrester hook !
Look at the Wikipedia entry…taking off and landing on carriers! It’s fun, too!
Sent from my iPhone
Excellent Intervie-.. errr Review. Uhn… Nice InterReview!.
I otter get me one of those planes.
Anyway, well done. If you had a tip jar, i’d stuff it.
Jeff, the real reviews are yet to come! This was just the preview review! But we like Inter-review! Snazzy!
Sent from my iPhone
Thanks for the interview, good to know about the dedicated guys behind STMA. My first add-ons when I got X-Plane 9 was Inside Passage and STMA’s bush planes. I’m still having fun exploring with them after a couple of years, everything from Vancouver International to fishing camps at remote islands and mountain lakes.
I got the Otter at the same time as the others because STMA told me the updated version would be included when finished. One of my most anticipated planes and it’s been a long wait. Can’t tell you how great it is to read what your experience with the new version has been.
Well, as a serious fan of round engines, especially P&W Wasp variants, I greatly anticipate the Otter’s release. STMA have never disappointed and this looks to bring it up yet another notch.
btw… someone needs to review POH about water rudder retraction.
In Campbell River (BC… part of Tom Curtis’ Inside Passage) in RW, the pilot caught with rudders unstowed at the wrong time had to buy beer for everyone in the company ready room 
Okay, Cougar
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