The folks at Got Friends have been busy working away on new aircraft and the next aircraft in their pipeline is the Taylorcraft BC-12D. This classic general aviation aircraft has a long aviation history and should fit into a few different niches within the flight sim marketplace. Today, you’re getting a preview of this gem of an airplane.

The plane

The Taylorcraft B is a single engine, high wing, monoplane design intended originally to compete in the private aircraft market with types like the Piper Cub. The Taylorcraft BC-12D that Got Friends has put together is a common variant with just over 4,000 produced. They are still found on airfields around the United States and Canada with a few making their way overseas.

Got Friends have, as typical, packed a lot of options into the plane with detailed modeling, soundwork, CraftPad^TMwhich lets you configure the airplane, and four variants. There’s also extra features like multiple avionics configurations and a half dozen different propeller variations with different lengths and pitches (for subtle performance tweaks).

You also get some neat visuals like the compound bow and antlers hung from the struts and they have also added a feature called “Reactive Motion” which adds physics properties to everything from the fuzzy dice hanging in the cockpit to the engine cowling covers.

The project comes with well over a dozen different liveries which have a lot of classic charm. They really fit the airplane!

This is Got Friends last MSFS 2020 project according to their statements and both a 2020 and 2024 native version will be available on release.

The experience

This is a project that leans into the classic nature of the airplane. The default cockpit is a barebones experience with a radio and basic instrumentation.

You can then choose to add everything else into the mix such as an autopilot, glass panels, and even the TDS and PMS50 glass panel avionics suites (free or paid separate purchases). So you can have a modern GPS guided experience or you can fly around a classic with just the basic instrumentation. You can also re-arrange the instrumentation on a per gauge basis so if there’s a layout you prefer or a specific Taylorcraft you want to replicate… have at it!

Another way that this gives you classic aircraft vibes is the optional engine start procedure that involves hand cranking (or mouse clicking) the propeller yourself. You can also choose to have an optional starter switch to do it from the cockpit but you could also get the airplane setup, primed, crack the throttle and then hop out and turn the prop yourself until it starts.

Everything is controlled by the CraftPad^TM which is a clipboard system that gives you access to all of these options. You can adjust the avionics, the aircraft walkaround state, and more all through the pad.

This is all before you even get into the air.

The flying

Taylorcraft BC-12D is a gem to fly! It’s a taildragger which means you need to be pretty good at handling one on the ground. But once you’re in the air its a very simple flying experience overall. This is a plane that rewards pure airmanship with basic stick and rudder flying. The fixed pitch propeller, which as I mentioned before can be changed out, gives it some performance constraints where you’ll need to balance the mission your flying with the performance you’re looking to have. It also has no flaps so slowing down for landing and managing energy states is a bit trickier.

Its a capable bushplane but it doesn’t have the instant into the air experience you might see with some of the really tricked out modern bushplanes. This is a classic and it needs longer to takeoff and land. Climbout is capable but you really have to monitor your airspeed and keep things managed.

The aircraft is stable and stalls gently like all high winged aircraft. Its not overly sensitive though it will get pushed around in turbulence and in strong winds.

Landing is a bit of an interesting experience. Dropping speed requires careful flight planning, power management, and maybe some sideslip to get you down into the speed range that you want to be in. A few bush strips that I tried to land at in my preview flights required me to do some very careful crabbing to try and get on speed. There were definitely a few go-arounds as I adapted to the airplane and how it reacts to angle and power.

The BC-12D also works great as a seaplane, a ski-plane and as a general aviation aircraft. If you fly it as the latter, I suggest the classic wheel pants for that classic look.

This will be great!

Though the aircraft is still going through a find round or two of testing, Got Friends are clearly on final approach with their development efforts of this aircraft. Pricing is already public on their website at $24.99 USD and you’ll probably see with all of the options baked into this and all of the attention to detail that it more or less justifies the price.

This is a fun airplane to fly, it has a ton of options that lets you adapt it to the type of GA flying that you want to do, and its quite interactive and pleasant to fly. Go find some classic GA airstrips or take it into the bush!

Even with some additional testing to go, I’m very confident that this will be an absolutely solid release once it comes out. An easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys this kind of classic general aviation or bush flying. Stay tuned for release news!

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