A feature-rich helicopter for Microsoft Flight Simulator
Among the impressive number of new freeware aircraft and updates offered up with the Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) 40th Anniversary package were a pair of two quite different helicopters. Here we review the Bell 407 and see how well MSFS has adapted to the rotary wing environment.
Bell aircraft
Bell Aircraft started life in 1935 and perhaps surprisingly, its first designs were for fixed-wing fighters. It was another Bell aircraft – the X-1 – which was the first aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds. However, since 1941 they were also developing helicopters with their piston-engine Bell 47 becoming the very first helo approved for civilian use. With some still flying today, it went on to set several world performance and endurance records that still stand.
