TukanFlightSim have released the Ford Trimotor 5AT for MSFS, otherwise known as the Tin Goose. The add-on has many included features along with several liveries. TukanFlightSim have modelled this add-on from references of multiple aircraft.
About the Ford Trimotor 5AT
The Ford Trimotor, nicknamed the “Tin Goose” is an American built three-engined transport aircraft. Production first began in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford but ended in 1933. In this time, 199 of the aircraft were built and designed for the civil aviation market. However, the Trimotor saw several uses in the military.
Ford bought Stout and its aircraft designs in 1925, turning a single-engined Stout into a Ford Trimotor. The design was similar to the Fokker F.VII, apart from being all metal. Henry Ford claimed the aircraft was the safest airliner around by making it out of all metal. The all-metal construction was not a new concept, but was far more advanced than the standard techniques used in the 1920s.
Despite its intended commercial use, the Ford Trimotor 5AT was also seen being used by the US Army Corps. The 5-AT model had powerful Pratt & Whitney engines with an aluminium corrugated metal body and wings. It could carry eight or nine passengers along with a crew of three. The control surfaces were also made of corrugated metal, this was uncommon for the time.
TukanFlightSim’s Ford Trimotor 5AT
Using references from multiple aircraft, the Ford Trimotor 5AT comes with a highly detailed exterior. This is supported by extensive PBR materials for realistic variation between different surfaces. To represent the metal corrugated wings and body, accurate UV mapping and texturing has been used to give a realistic corrugated metal like surface.
To further capture the aircraft in the simulator, the interior has been modelled realistically with PBR textures. The cockpit has been fully animated with interactive cockpit instruments, this includes rigged cables and interior lighting. Cockpit instruments have been modelled to match perfectly with the era it was built in.
The geometry has been made to be clean and optimised to increase detail based on visibility. To help create a good VR experience, the aircraft has a careful balance of geometry and textures. The UV mapped textures also help to reduce how much memory it uses. Both passenger and cargo variants have been included in this singular add-on to capture both sides of this historical aircraft.
By default, the aircraft includes 16+ liveries, with more to come in the future. These range from different military liveries such as the US Navy, Spanish Civil War National, to commercial and freighter like those of Pan American Airways and Eastern Air Transport. Misc liveries like the Smokejumpers have also been included.
Finishing off the realistic experience is a fully loaded cargo variant carrying different types of cargo. The back of the aircraft also has lots of boxes, an emergency raft, ropes, sacks and chickens to fill up the empty space. This adds extra detail to the aircraft in the cargo variant, “adventure packed” as TukanFlightSim puts it.
The Ford Trimotor 5AT by TukanFlightSim is available now to buy for MSFS on the Orbx Store for €22.68. You can also find it on simMarket. For more flight simulator related news, check out the rest of FSNews here.
