The Bamboo Bomber
In the late 1930’s Cessna saw a growing need for an inexpensive, light twin. The popular twin of the day, the Twin Beech, was fairly expensive and was often oversized for roles with small businesses or occasionally, small charter airlines.
First flown in 1939 and reaching production in 1940, the T-50 Bobcat was of fabric-covered steel-tube construction featuring retractable main landing gear and electrically actuated trailing edge flaps. With the wing structure built up of laminated spruce spar beams and its fuselage faired with spruce stringers, it gained the nickname, “the Bamboo Bomber.”
The Bobcat quickly found great success as a military multi-engine advanced trainer and utility transport; its wood construction was ideal since it didn’t require diverting a lot of valuable aluminum from the war effort. Over 4600 airframes went into service with US forces, with another 640 flying with the RCAF and the BCATP. Not used for long in post-war service, remaining military Bobcats were declared obsolete by 1949.
The ready availability of surplus T-50’s (available at the time for less than $3000) meant that quite a few made their way into civilian life, finding use in many areas of commercial and private aviation.
The Bobcat also found cinematic fame on the 50's television show Sky King, where a T-50, named Songbird, was flown by the
lead character (one of which used on the show was the actor’s own aircraft) until replaced later in the series by a Cessna 310B.
Milviz T-50 Bobcat
Our goal for the T-50 was to create a highly detailed and precise
replica of this classic aircraft. This starts with an exquisitely
rendered 3D model, both inside and out. Every switch, lever, crank, and
control is in its place, allowing the virtual pilot full control. High
resolution textures and smoothly animated gauges, along with high
quality audio, add to the sense of immersion.
Once in the air, a carefully tested flight model combines by-the-book
numbers with a smooth sense of proper flight response in order to
carefully replicate the same experience that so many wartime pilots
experienced on their way through the multi-engine training program. Our
team has spent countless hours tuning, testing, checking, and reporting
on how the aircraft performs so as to ensure an authentic recreation.
Radio Range System
A first for a FSX/P3D commercial product, the T-50 Bobcat includes a
detailed and fully functional simulation of the Low Frequency Radio
Range system. This was the early radio navigational system used across
North America (as well as a few other regions) beginning in the 1930's
until replaced by VHF band VOR navigation in the 1950's.
The system allows you to tune a set radio signal and "follow the beam"
by listening for the continuous tone while navigating from station to
station. Off course information is given to the pilot through a quadrant
system of Morse Code signals. A full description is far too lengthy to
put into words here, but needless to say it's a fascinating (and
slightly challenging) experience, one that perfectly fits within the era
and role of the T-50 Bobcat.
MVAMS Configuration
As with our other recent releases, configuration for the Bobcat is
though our included Milviz Aircraft Management System (MVAMS). This
external application provides easy control over setting your preferred
options when the Bobcat is loaded in the simulator.
From within the MVAMS application, you can choose pilot and passenger
figures to display, your avionics options, and whether you prefer the
T-50 to load cold and dark, or with the engines running and the aircraft
ready for flight!
Selectable Avionics
While a T-50 Bobcat pilot from the 40’s or 50’s would have only dreamed
of the extensive selection of avionics available in today’s aircraft,
we’ve allowed for a modern restoration which may have a more up-to-date
cabin, featuring GPS and weather radar. An option is also provided for
having no modern avionics at all, so as to allow for those who wish to
immerse themselves in the era in which the Bobcat was flown in a
military setting.
Built-in configuration support from within our MVAMS application is
included for the following in various configurations:
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Flight1 GTN 650 (Dual)
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Flight1 GTN 750 (Single)
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Flight1 GTN 650 & 750 (Combo)
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Reality XP GNS 430/530W XP (Combo)
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MilViz GNS 430/530 (Combo)
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Mindstar GNS 530
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WX Advantage Radar
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No GPS Option
Please note that compatibility for the above gauge packages includes
support for installation and setup of our product only; use of any of
the offered options requires a functional existing installation of the
appropriate gauge. The Bobcat comes with our MilViz 430/530 combo, but
any other gauges we list compatibility for are not included.
Use of any 3rd party avionics package in any desired simulator is also
of course restricted to the availability of the avionics package for
that simulator. Please see the respective manufacturers websites
regarding platform compatibility for your avionics package.
Special Features:
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Realistic flight dynamics
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Realistic startup and shutdowns
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Realistic systems and avionics
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Authentic Radio Range system
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Support for 3rd Party Avionics (RealityXP, Mindstar, Flight1)
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6 HD liveries included
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High quality external model using normal, bump and specular maps
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High quality internal model complete with custom 3D gauges
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Sophisticated cockpit lighting
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Model is highly configurable through our MVAMS application
Multi-Platform Support
Your MilViz T-50 Bobcat purchase supports installation into a full range
of platforms, from one single installer:
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FSX: SP2
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FSX: Acceleration
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FSX: Steam Edition
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Prepar3d v2
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Prepar3d v3
System Requirements (Minimum):
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Operating System: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 10 (Use of this product in any other version of Windows is not supported at this time.)
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Processor: 2.6 Ghz or higher
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Memory: 4 GB RAM
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Graphics:*DirectX 11 compliant video card, 1024 MB video RAM or higher
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Hard Drive Space: 1 GB available space
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Supported Platforms:*FSX with Service Pack 2, FSX Acceleration, FSX:Steam Edition, Prepar3d Version 2 (Latest release, with all hotfixes), Prepar3d Version 3, 4 (Latest release, with all hotfixes)Use or installation of the products(s) referenced on this page in any other platform than that intended or shown above is not supported and may result in errors or a non-functioning product.
Warning: All Anti-Virus programs or software*must be disabled*before
downloading and installing these products. Failure to do so may result
in a faulty or non-functioning installation. False positives are very
common and are not to be mistaken for actual viruses. We guarantee that
there are*no viruses*present in our products. NO REFUNDS
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