Renowned developer JustFlight took to their Facebook page earlier today to announce the release of their latest GA aircraft rendition, the PA38 Tomahawk, for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The Tomahawk is their fifth such product offering for the platform and according to the developer we can expect “the same exacting standards reached on previous releases.”
Table of Contents
About the PA38 Tomahawk
The Piper PA38-112 Tomahawk is a two-seat, fixed tricycle landing gear general aviation airplane, originally designed for flight training, touring, and personal use. The aircraft is a single-engined, low-wing cantilever monoplane with a T-tail and an enclosed cabin for a pilot and co-pilot/passenger. The powerhouse of the PA38 is a Lycoming O-235 four-cylinder piston engine with a twin-bladed tractor propeller.
Originally introduced as the Tomahawk in 1977, the 1981 and 1982 models were designated as the Tomahawk II and incorporated improved cabin and windshield defroster performance, and an improved elevator trim system, among other enhancements. As of 2020, a handful of Tomahawks are currently being used to train Australian Air Force Cadets in flight training courses.
Key features of the Tomahawk
Model
JustFlight’s PA38 Tomahawk features a highly detailed and accurately modeled exterior and was built using real-world aircraft plans and comprehensive photography of the real aircraft. The team has also implemented various animations including cockpit doors, windows, fuel caps and fuel drains, ground equipment including chocks, tie-downs, pushback towbar and pitot covers, and 8192×8192 textures to produce the highest possible texture clarity.
Further features include PBR materials, high-quality dirt and wear textures, an interactive exterior model pre-flight walkaround, and full support for MSFS icing effects.
Cockpit
The Tomahawk’s cockpit has also received immaculate attention to detail and has been accurately modeled, right down to the seat belts and screw heads. Cockpit textures also feature wear and tear textures just like the exterior model with grime and dirt to produce an authentic environment. The developer has also added the ability to dim the instrument panels and the radio stack lighting.
JustFlight has also added a tablet EFB for controlling various aircraft options and checking the aircraft and flight information. Some of the headlining features include ‘Cold & Dark’, ‘Ready for Take-off’, and ‘Ready for Start’ aircraft states, automatic switching of the fuel tanks, GPS unit selection, interactive walkaround mode, aircraft failures, Navigraph Charts, SimBrief integration, and paper checklists.
Aircraft systems and sounds
JustFlight’s PA38 Tomahawk has fully simulated, custom-coded aircraft systems based on its real-world counterpart. Features include a custom-coded fuel system, electrical system, functioning carburetor heat and primer controls, wear and tear that affects over 15 components, and failures including spark plug fouling, limited battery life, vapor lock, and more.
The feature list doesn’t end there as JustFlight has also integrated the MSFS-native (Wwise) sound package, taking full advantage of the platform’s capabilities. The aircraft also features studio-quality Lycoming O-235 engine sounds that were recorded from the real aircraft. Further features include a plethora of cockpit sound effects, authentic audio for every switch and knob, physics-based effects on engine and wind noise, and custom crash and scraping effects.
Closing notes
The PA38 Tomahawk comes included with various paint schemes with registrations from across Europe, the US, and Oceania. Also part of the package is a custom paint kit that you can use to create your liveries and comprehensive PDF manuals with flight tutorials, systems guides, aircraft limits, panel guides, EFB guides, and performance data. The entire feature list can be found on their product page.
JustFlight’s PA38 Tomahawk is available to purchase on the JustFlight Store and retails for EUR 35.95 exclusive of taxes. For more flight sim-related news, announcements, releases, and more, do check out our other articles on FSNews.
