Although the C207 hasn’t been updated in ages, it hangs in there. Just like the my other AH go-to, the Aztec, it keeps on ticking. They get the job done.
Edit: I did find one bug in both the C207 and the PA23. The X-Plane 530 does not display range correctly. Notice that I have the range set for 150 NM, that the destination (CYPW) is 114 NM, but that it does show on the display. This is the C207. It still functions, so perhaps tap it with a hammer.
I quite like the utilitarian look of that…
The tail squat is a bit disconcerting…lol…it almost has a look like “I’m thinking about going flying…but haven’t quite made up my mind that I’d rather have a nap…”
Have to agree. Looks like it was beat with an ugly stick, The 207 already pushed the original form to the longitudinal extreme, but that nose is ridiculous.
Got a couple of aircraft Ill have to work my way up to.
But my ultimate goal would definitely be this one.
AH2XP Aircraft Evaluation #03 - Propstrike Studios Cessna 172 Bush Kit
MTOW = 2,558 lbs.
EMPTY = 1,721 lbs.
230 lbs. pilot
96 lbs. fuel (2 hours)
511 lbs. cargo
The Propstrike Cessna 172 Bush Kit is an awesome freeware modification to the default Laminar Research 172. My initial fuel burn was based on some research for the 172N, but I think the Propstrike Cessna 172 is still based on the Laminar model which is the 172SP - which if that is the case you can up the fuel burn to maybe 10 gph instead of 8.
511 lbs. of cargo isn’t bad, and my assumption is the Propstrike 172 will be an affordable first aircraft for an Air Hauler career. Two variants exist - the taildragger configuration and tricycle gear. The plane is REP compatible, but is not GTN 750 compatible. In fact, the 172 is a /A…so it has no GPS whatsoever!
The model is absolutely gorgeous and I think AH2XP pilots should get a discount during the AH2 purchase process because the paint job is so beat to hell…
The 172N manual seems to indicate 10 degrees of flaps for soft field takeoffs, which is what I used. At the maximum takeoff weight, the plane labored up the hill. Anemic engine power maxed out at around 2,300 RPM and no leaning or fiddling could coax more out of it. Pretty much like all the 172s I flew out in Arizona…
I honestly didn’t think we’d make it, but at the last second the stall warning chirped and we staggered into the air just over the end of the island runway obstacles…
Takeoff distance was about 1450’ of the available 1650’…
Coming around for a full flap landing - the Garmin AOA indexer is a very nice tool…
A very firm touchdown, heavy braking, and raising the flaps resulted in a workable 600’ landing distance although I question whether the main spar got cracked…
Thinking that perhaps the 10 degree flap setting was less than ideal for the takeoff, I ran the problem again with flaps zero. The plane did seem to accelerate a bit better with a bit of forward stick, but when easing in the elevator toward the end of the strip the stall horn came on a bit earlier and the result was an even more terrifying takeoff…
In VR - the plane is just perfect. Super high frame-rates, excellent gauge readability, and just overall a great experience…
An important feature of course…an autopilot…!
It is also nice that the plane has the seats torn out and has a legit cargo compartment in the back!
Doing some testing to determine that fuel flow reading - adjusting the airspeed indicator using the pressure altitude vs. temperature bezel adjustment (remember doing that??) - leaned out to roughly 50 degrees rich of peak lean…at full power the engine actually does get up to around 2,700 RPM indicating about 120 knots true at 10 gph…
Pulling the power back to 2,500…(my approximation of 75% power) and we get about 107 knots true and 8 gph…
And the views of Maine are beautiful…!
The Propstrike 172 could be my starter aircraft. Hard not to love everything about it. The takeoff field length could be a problem…and so too could be performance at altitude where much of our flying will likely be happening. Landing distance seems OK, so taking loads in will be OK, but getting them out could be tricky business - but fun business!
This sort of thing is not really in my wheelhouse even though it is almost totally within my wheelhouse. (Two very stupid uses of a very overused word). But I must say the enthusiasm and anticipation is contagious.
Oh I like that! D/L’d now. Nice find!
Where/when were u flying about in the 172 in AZ? Worked a lot of ER guys back in the early 90’s in/out/around PRC.
EDIT: Twas back, mostly before GPS stuff; re-oriented a lot ER flyers then…seemed like one a week on average. You got kinda good at it. Reminds me of some other interesting stories…
@BeachAV8R are you flying be with virtual controls or physical equipment?
Oh…I totally know what you mean. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have just spent the last 90 minutes trying to put this puzzle together:
So I was thinking - if I chose the Propstrike Bush 172 - it would be nice to have a GPS. I mean, some of those bush strips are tiny and hard to find. So I did some searching and found this recently updated mod for X-Plane…
Only thing is - you have to do your own panel modifications. Thankfully, the step-by-step instructions are pretty darn good. I had a couple mistakes that set me back 20 minutes, but I think I got it done correctly in the end.
It is an extremely in depth simulation of the KLN-90B. I had the pleasure of flying with the KLN-90B back in the day and thought it was a magic box. It was a thousand times more useful than the competing Trimble 2000. Firing it up in the sim, I thought I had screwed something up as it as showing FLAGGED - but turns out it was just acquiring satellites…(!)…
Looks great and adds some utility to my little 172/A - guess I’ll have to change that slant alpha to the proper designation!
For what it’s worth…the instructions on how to add this to pretty much any plane are in the download. I know just about nothing about Plane Maker, but I was able to get it in there. I feel like a proud parent…where is @fearlessfrog when I need to show him the bird I killed…? 
I went to Empty-Riddle for three years…but was not a flight student ($$$$). So I would occasionally rent a 172 from North Aire (not sure if they are still in business). They had some pretty beat up 172s, but it was hard to resist the siren song of flying around that area between Prescott, Flagstaff, Sedona, and Phoenix. Some great memories there. Glad I didn’t kill myself or anyone else. That was from 1992-95.
I’m using my Warthog for these flights - but this plane in particular (the Propstrike 172) seems best set up for virtual controllers since it has native X-Plane VR implementation I think…so I’ll give it a go…!
I flew a 172 with the KLN90B…I think it was the first airplane I flew with a panel mounted GPS unit. 
Yeah…I think that was the first panel mount I had too. Prior to that I had some flying with an Apollo Loran C which I also thought was magic…
Odds are we’ve chatted; was assigned to that (ZAB) area low/high/ultra-high during that time (basically Central/Northern AZ, West->East: EED → GUP, North->South, FLG PHX).
So you may or may not have seen me accidentally fly through R-2302 once on a VFR flight from Humphreys Peak back down to Biscuit.
So I just reread the description on the just flight page and now I’m over excited for AH2.
It seems you can do passengers as well as cargo. I thought you could do cargo only.
But this bit below made me really excited
Same here. I remember coming back from Concord, NC (KJQF) to Atlanta (KPDK) one night and how useful it was to report inbound at the 10 mile mark. I thought, That was damned easy. I need to always rent this bird.
If anyone is interested, the mod that allows running Air Hauler to work for XP11, still works with the production version of XP11. I used it with my rebuild of XP11 for a job last night. Since the company database is kept in the AH install folder, I didn’t lose my old company data when I did a foundational rebuild of XP11.
