Aviat Aircraft Husky A-1C for MFS2020 review

Asobo released their new DLC plane, the Aviat Husky A-1C, last week. If you purchase this plane for €15, you get a variant with floats, big wheels, skis, and standard wheels (plus some colored liveries). I've taken it for a spin multiple times now, and I'm ready to share my opinion.

The Husky A-1C is a two-seater utility light aircraft. It comes fitted with a Garmin Aera 796 touchscreen and a custom display for engine diagnostics. It has a cruise speed of 140mph and a range of 800mi. The original Husky A-1 originates from 1987, but Asobo went with the A-1C version, only certified in 2007.

Another light aircraft?

The critique I've seen in various places is that nobody is waiting on another cub-derived light aircraft. And I get the sentiment. It looks like a cub, it handles like a cub, and we already have two cubs where one of them has a glass cockpit.

The Husky only costs €15. For this price, you get a fantastic plane that packs some new fresh glass cockpit features. They went out of their way to add the Garmin Aera 796 (be it a stripped-down version of the real deal) instead of the slap a G1000 on everything approach as seen in the base game.

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What I lowkey hope is that their pricing strategy sets a baseline. For a small price, you get a decent product with four different variations. A light aircraft isn't packed with complicated systems. It's hard to justify a higher price point. This pack raises my expectations regarding third-party developers. Unless they produce a light aircraft from a place of passion there isn't really a justification for a higher price point.
The Husky gives the beginning flight simmer, the new guy, a safe purchase for a soft price without investing time in researching third-party developers. I'm convinced the plane flying under Asobos banner will feel secure and trusted by people new to the scene. On the flip side, this could also lead to some distrust by the veterans after specific patches.

The controls seem to work right from the start. No custom variables or keybinds, just the default MFS2020 configuration. Since I'm a stickler for custom hardware it was a pleasant surprise to see everything work out of the box. The cockpit controls themselves are modeled like the default Asobo planes. They haven't gone out of their way like Just Flight does with their Piper series to model/animate details such as the circuit breakers. This isn't a deal-breaker. It's just the difference you get between both price points.

The looks

There isn't much to say about the looks. It's a small plane, has lovely details and pleasing textures. Asobo spent some time adding in small details. For example, the float version has cords of the water rudder that dangle with the movement of the plain. It's a minor detail, but it makes the cockpit feel alive. The cable that connects the aileron to the wings gets pulled to the left and right is also one of those nice to have details. It's a matter of:" I wouldn't notice when they hadn't, but it's noticeable that they have."

Want to know if this plane has the looks for you? Load up in the default X-Cub, and you'll find out. The Husky is a dressed-down version of the Cub but with some extra attention to detail. It shines in its simplicity.

Verdict

Essentially, this plane is just a spin-off of the X-cub. An aircraft that is already in the game and flies well. Therefore I can only say that the Husky flies great as well.
I wouldn't call this aircraft the "next big thing" or a "must buy". There is only one question you'd need to ask yourself. Do you want to buy an X-Cub-derived add-on that's well-executed? If the answer is yes, this plane will be an excellent addition to your fleet. If the answer is no, I hate the X-Cub. I'd recommend steering clear of this one.

The low cost is the selling point for me. I hope this price point will be followed by third-party developers selling re-skins of existing planes (you know who we are all talking about). For €15, I don't expect much, but the effort Asobo has put into their Husky will be my new bar in this range. It adds just enough to feel new while at the same time using an existing concept to make it feel familiar.

[penci_review]