Today’s Top Pick is a 1942 Noorduyn Norseman UC-64A.

If you think the Noorduyn Norseman looks a lot like a de Havilland DCH-2 Beaver, you are not alone. The similarities make sense because the two aircraft were designed to handle the demands of air transport in the Canadian backcountry as well as military duty.

Each has a big Pratt & Whitney radial engine in front, supplying the excess of power needed to lift heavy loads from short, rough fields and deliver vital supplies across the sparsely populated stretches of territory that characterize northern Canada. The Norseman, though, made its first flight during the mid-1930s, about a dozen years before the Beaver’s arrival.

While the Norseman was fortified to perform in arctic regions, it would be a fun, effective way to travel today, especially for a large, outdoorsy family that might otherwise choose a recreational vehicle for vacation transport. Imagine the sensation this aircraft would cause parked on the ramp of Massachusetts’ Nantucket Memorial Airport (KACK) among the modern jets and turboprops.

This 1942 Noorduyn Norseman has 13,250 hours on the airframe and 625 hours on its Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1562 engine since overhaul. The panel features a Narco Comm-811 transceiver, King KT 76A transponder, Narco AR-850 encoder, NAT AA-80 intercom, and Garmin 296 GPS map.

Additional equipment includes Federal hydraulic metal skis, a throw-over yoke, Davtron digital outside temperature and leading edge landing lights, taxi lights, and strobes.

Pilots interested in antique aircraft that remain versatile, utilitarian, and practical by modern standards should take a look at this 1942 Noorduyn Norseman, which is available for $195,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use its airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Building the Dream Beaver for Generations
• Plane & Pilot: Noorduyn Norseman (C.C.F.)
• AVweb: Summer’s Over; Go Home
• The Aviation Consumer: Off the Beaten Path: Vintage Aircraft
• The Aviation Consumer: Antiques and Classics: Owning and Operating

The post This 1942 Noorduyn Norseman Is an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick Tested in the Canadian Backcountry appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The recently approved upgrade goes beyond replacing the Beaver’s original Pratt & Whitney R985 radial engine with a modern turbine to increase performance and efficiency. The re-engined Beavers receive new wings, fuel, oil, and electrical systems, engine monitoring, carbon-fiber cowlings, and more. Valdor calls the almost-all-new aircraft the BX Turbo Beaver.

• READ MORE: Building the Dream Beaver For Generations

Valdor noted that many of the updates it makes to the aircraft reflect aviation regulations that are more stringent than in 1948 when the Beaver was first  certified. Many of the changes under the STC reflect how much aviation has advanced over the Beaver’s long lifespan.

The aircraft was developed based in part on a wish list compiled through surveys of Canadian bush pilots. Bush aircraft at the time tended to be underpowered and a bit frail, so de Havilland focused on making the Beaver rugged and powerful. 

• READ MORE: Harbour Air Makes First Point-to-Point Flight with Electric Beaver

The company chose the R985, known as the Wasp Junior, because it delivered even more power than the designers specified for the original airframe. By now, though, many of the Beavers still flying have outlived their radials and can benefit from the turbine’s power boost. Valdor’s BX Turbo Beaver upgrade joins a long list of modifications developed over decades to keep these sought-after aircraft in service.

The post Valdor Aviation Receives STC for de Havilland Beaver Turboprop Conversion appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For many aviation enthusiasts, the new edition is not just another update of the company’s long-standing simulation program, but instead a celebration of virtual aviation’s past, present, and future. 

The Microsoft Flight Simulator software program was first launched in 1977 when Bruce Artwick, a software engineer who founded Sublogic, created and developed the first iteration of the program. Two years later, the company released Flight Simulator for the Apple II. In 1982, Microsoft purchased licensing rights to that original software and officially launched the first iteration of Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 that same year.

Since that time, Microsoft has released updated versions of the program periodically. In 2012, the company decided to shelve product development after it faced intense criticism from users after launching Microsoft Flight, designed to replace the original simulator series. Microsoft’s franchise remained grounded until the company partnered with Asobo, a French video game developer known for video game versions of Pixar movies. That collaboration led to the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

The long break between versions allowed the team to take advantage of substantial advancements in gaming technology. The result is flight simulation software that rivals (and even surpasses) scenery used in full-motion commercial flight simulators.

Marking 40 Years of Development

This latest release of Flight Simulator is chock full of features that appease new flight simmers—what those aficionados call themselves—and those loyal to the program since its beginnings. Every update comes with new virtual aircraft models to fly, but this time around, they’ve gone old school.

Seven historical aircraft are featured: the 1903 Wright Flyer, a 1915 Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, the 1927 Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, a 1935 Douglas DC-3, a 1937 Grumman G-21 Goose, a 1947 de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, and the famous 1947 Hughes H-4 Hercules Spruce Goose. Some of these (like the Jenny and Spirit of St. Louis) were featured in the 2004 release, while others are making their flight simulator debut with this latest version. 

Aside from the new aircraft, Microsoft’s scenery brought an entirely new dimension to flight simming, including simulating the topography of the entire Earth using data from Bing Maps. Microsoft Azure’s artificial intelligence (AI) generates three-dimensional representations of Earth’s features, using cloud computing to render and enhance visuals. Combining these visual tools sets this software far ahead of its previous iterations.

Sharpening Virtual Flying Skills

When Microsoft and Asobo released the 2020 version of Flight Simulator, it provided some much-needed engagement for real-world pilots grounded at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The software’s advanced scenery and aerodynamic modeling allowed many frustrated aviators to practice their flying skills. Whether or not the flight time is loggable is another discussion. Either way, they could practice pilotage, instrument scanning, and radio navigation.

While flight simulators are not helpful for ground operations, like parking or taxiing an airplane, some flight training academies encourage pilots to improve their skills through home-based flight simulators. An example is a Melbourne, Australia-based flight school that has developed online training modules and recommends supplemental practice via Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

While there is no way to replace real turbulence and its bumps, skips, and jolts—and landing in a tabletop simulator does not provide the same depth perception as real-world pattern work—there are benefits to using the program. Occasional sim time engages neurons that fire after practicing checklists, following a road via VFR [visual flight rules] navigation, or maybe shooting an instrument approach or two.  

Flight simmers can enjoy flying various aircraft, from jets to Jennys and sport aircraft to the Spruce Goose, they enjoy the immersive experience of flying virtual skies to destinations they may only dream of. 

The post Fly a DC-3, or ‘Spruce Goose’ in the New Microsoft Flight Simulator appeared first on FLYING Magazine.