And the OH-58D made it into X-Plane. Developer KarlL has just released the Kiowa Warrior for the sim. As he says, “get ready for a different helicopter”.
This should be an interesting helicopter for many reasons. Not only because it’s a freeware helicopter (we like free stuff, right?) but also because the Kiowa is a stable platform, making it easier to fly and having the potential of being a great gateway for new helicopter pilots.
But don’t expect a simple machine. This is still a military helicopter and you’ll find the systems quite complex if you start digging into them.
When installing it, please keep in mind that there are some details you should really take into consideration. Basically: RTFM.
Fortunately, Karl made a small list of everything you should take into consideration to make it work properly:
- If you are using a hardware throttle axis, you must assign "WING SWEEP" instead of "Throttle" in your joystick settings;
- Create a joystick profile specific for the OH-58D;
- Set a minimum of 4 Flight Models per Frame (5 is recommended) in your General Settings;
- Use the regular flight model, not the experimental;
- Set your Visual Graphics slider (X-Plane Settings, Graphics Tab) to a minimum of HIGH(HDR);
- Maintain a minimum of 30 frames per second at all times, else lower other settings until 30 FPS is maintained;
- Requires X-Plane 11.55, previous versions have not been tested.
Once you have these all sorted out, you should be all ready. Enjoy!
Official features list
- 4K PBR textures
- Thoroughly animated
- Fmod sound incorporating real soundtracks
- All systems customized with SASL
- Realistic flight model
- "Training Wheels", optional and adjustable stability for novice helicopter pilots
- 6 additionnal liveries developed by DarkAngel1010
- VR Ready
- Customized button commands available for all "hands-on-controls" functions, and most others
