Oliver Fischer’s Junkers 52

There have been several Junkers aircraft released for FS, just a quick browse in the Avsim Library yields a number of planes but perhaps the most understated listing belongs to this rather good package. With only a small collage picture and list of features it’s strange to see only 14,000 downloads in two years. There are a number of planes in this category; think Boeing model 80 or the default Ford Tri-Motor but hopefully this article should give you enough reason to choose this 1930’s experimental cargo hauler.

The self-installer comes in at a good 35MB so it may take a while on the old 56k. Included are 8 paints, 2 models, sound set and all the rest it takes to make a complete download.

Exterior

Like many aircraft at the time Junkers opted to use a corrugated skin. Any geek may now see a problem: stripes and digital do not mix. A man with a striped shirt on TV can knock out a sizeable proportion of epilepsy sufferers while the rest of us are merely hypnotised. However all the textures are very good with a convincing amount of shine, dirt and weathering – indeed from a small distance they look like a photo. Up close the effect is lost as is the way with DXT3 compression leaving lots of horrible artifacts.

Inside is a bit of a treat, all the textures are either photo or very good quality pieces of artwork. They have lovely shading, dirt and add a great sense of depth to flat areas. The seats, floor and parts of the cockpit are at a lower resolution to save space so it can spoil the smooth flow when not looking forward – but there is little reason to be looking at the floor or sidewalls when you can be staring through the greasy glass. If you open the door and step back into the cabin you’ll find full photo textures that look great from a distance or from the outside.

Outside there is nice details and a good shape. The fuselage keeps its blocky shape while details in the engine, antennae and interior are modelled in detail. The model also has a fully visible interior. Up in the front the pilots are modelled well – not overly detailed, but at least the hands are both the correct shape and in the right place. Small things!

As far as animations go there is very little new to write about, but of course the control surfaces animate well and there’s an opening door. Again looking inside the developer has done well as the pilots look left/right, the yolk moves and the throttle is moved forward with a really good bit of animation.

Panel

The fact is the 2D panel can only be used if you know every single key command because this thing only has minimal sub panels. If you’re a control control + E sort of person then fine, but for the most part I think many simmers will feel limited. There are nice bitmaps for everything with really good clear gauges, but there is simply not enough space to include all the engine instruments, electrical instruments or…much. The gauges pop off the screen very well with their glass and bevels and move well. There are however only 4 pop up windows including the default GPS, 2 radios and the compass. With no throttle panel, engine panel, first officer panel (for various meters and valves) or switch panel you really cannot fully fly this beast from the flat perspective without panning continually into the VC side views.

Virtual Cockpit

I imagine most simmers will have the same reaction as me, an audible ‘woah’ as the quality of the modelling and texturing slap you in the face. It’s rare on any FS plane to have such quality and detail. Everything is modelled, animated and clickable from rudder trim to autopilot switch, from magnetos to ADF really I mean it when every lever, button or part is 3D and animated – and in such an old plane it is certainly more complicated to model than a new jet liner. Of course in vintage birds there is very little though in regard to ergonomics, so the main electric switches are situated conveniently behind the first officer unnervingly beneath the head height fuel tank. Radio boxes slot underneath the main console and are hard to read just by looking so you must either move or open the pop up. The main console itself is all quite familiar with some colourful magnetos switches, throttle, condition levers and delightful start switches. The engine and monitoring equipment is either in the centre or towards the right meaning some can be hard to read, so fortunately the developer decided to include mouse over hints. It’s really joy to fly from the VC, especially in a flying greenhouse; you can either gaze at the detail inside or all around – but if you want to concentrate on the instruments, just pull the curtain over to hide the world.

Flying

Jump in start up – not an issue in an old plane. Battery on, magnetos on, condition full, start then hit the generator but you’ll need to assign a key for the avionics master if by default it’s off. Simple stuff –unlike taxiing and I would suggest you choose a steerable tail wheel rather than brakes and alternative throttle. This plane was built in the time of rough short runways and taking off first from St. Malo/ Dinard she is a mighty STOL performer at the default weight and 45% fuel pulls up and off the runway around 45knots with one notch (13%) flaps (if you wish, the flaps wheel is beside your seat). Be careful with the throttle, always move smoothly up to avoid the dreaded left torque drag. One notch of rudder trim and a bit of right diff. Braking does wonders and the plane isn’t too hard to keep straight. Lifting up the great glass cockpit shows all the ground in front and it’s very like flying a small, stable Cessna with a similar roll rate. A lot of rudder is needed to avoid slipping with all those engines, but on the other hand slipping can be a lot of fun. Navigating with only the ADF and compass can be difficult with so few NDBs around in FS so you’ll be relying on old fashioned dead reckoning or for the weak; the GPS.

One item that does make a little distress is maintaining an altitude. The autopilot can only be set for heading so keeping a track on trim (the larger side wheel) and vertical speed is important and a little tiring in some conditions.

Flying low below the clouds at 150KIAS in my test flight I spot Jersey and turn for my first landing and refuel. Keeping level and lining up is very easy as this Junkers is as stable as a Cessna 172 again. Keep a note on flaps with so many settings – full flaps create a lot of lift with not too much drag on this three engine, so slowing to the 35knot landing speed can be interesting. My first landing came around half way down the runway, hitting the threshold at 45 and despite lowering the condition levers to 50% to slow the engines as much as possible my passengers and I still drifted a long way before a very soft contact and gentle slow. As with any tail dragger the trick is to air brake and not pull back to lower the tail wheel while also no braking enough to pitch forward – though in a larger, heavier plane this is much easier. With a bit of practice this plane gets quite manageable.

Sound/Extras

Noted as a feature on the site the Junkers 52 package comes with a comprehensive sound set. With a great power bass and dirty chord the plane certainly sounds as if it would make the ground (and itself) shake. The sound at all level of throttle is nothing short of excellent and it is topped with great touches on the flaps, doors and touchdown effects. Unlike other Junkers I have played with that rely on a default sounds this is an added bonus.

Documentation for the plane is a little limited but I do not blame them for not wanting to write long performance charts and paragraphs while not only boring, the team would have had to translate the lot to keep the interest of the average ‘English’ speaking simmer. What is included however will suffice with a brief history of the plane and numbered look over the virtual cockpit.

Overall

This may not appeal to everyone, but for the quality I imagine it could keep many simmers interested. It is a bit of a challenge to navigate and gives a great ‘pioneer’ feel, as this was a plane used to explore the East and beyond. Just doing some Channel crossings was a lot of fun – though not being a vintage feel with Dash 8’s buzzing by. I think this plane could be a good medium – it is larger than most VFR aircraft, it is faster than most single or vintage aircraft while also being flattering to fly. If you like the look of this, why not check their great Bücker-131?

Check out the plane on www.junkers-52.de

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