Drifter ultralight release [Archive]

anthony31

April 28th, 2011, 03:02

I am always too slow :(

You can buy the Drifter from here:

http://www.flightsimstore.com/product_info.php?products_id=1695

Price is $19.95AUD

You can try before you buy (in fact, I recommend it) by downloading the free demo which is of the floats model from here:

http://www.antsairplanes.com/drifter.html

Even if you don't want to buy the full version you can still enjoy the free demo.

There are plenty of hires screenshots on the website as well.

I'll be uploading to other stores (simmarket and fspilotshop) after a week or two (I like to make sure there are no patches needed before a wider release).

Enjoy!!

flaviossa

April 28th, 2011, 03:49

Thanks Mr Anthony!
Nice little bird! Will it be available in simarket? As soon it appears there, i´ll purchase it.

Thanks!

Dain Arns

April 28th, 2011, 06:23

I always liked the Drifter for the fact it puts you right out there in the air.
The view is fantastic from the driver's seat.
It's like riding a motorcycle in the sky.

I'll definitely have to get this one today.
Be very happy to add it to my ULA hangar.
Thanks Anthony for such a super detailed, and accurate looking version. :applause:

stiz

April 28th, 2011, 08:25

now thats a proper plane! :applause: :applause: :applause:

dvj

April 28th, 2011, 09:02

Wow, The demo is amazing! Great work here Mr. Ants! Grand Canyon here I come. :salute::salute::salute::salute::salute:

36165

heywooood

April 28th, 2011, 11:44

the detail is amazing, just like the Moth - thank you Anthony

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/heywooood/2011-4-28_12-5-20-671.jpg
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/heywooood/2011-4-28_12-5-20-671.jpg)

YoYo

April 28th, 2011, 12:31

Yes! Thx for this demo too!

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/6004/drifter.jpg

OleBoy

April 28th, 2011, 18:09

now thats a proper plane! :applause: :applause: :applause:

More like a work of art. Nice work Anthony!!! :ernae:

thefrog

April 29th, 2011, 00:41

Excellent demo plane with brilliant cockpit (vc) texturing! I'll definitely get this one.
Dave

grunau_baby

April 29th, 2011, 04:57

Enjoying the Demo (VERY VERY MUCH). Looking forward to getting it, when it´s out on simmarket! This is my type of flying-machine, love it!

Alex

dvj

April 29th, 2011, 07:41

In the Canyon!
36239

YoYo

April 29th, 2011, 09:22

In the Canyon!
36239

Where is the water? :icon_lol:

doublecool

April 29th, 2011, 16:28

More like a work of art. Nice work Anthony!!! :ernae:

It really is a work of art... Very very nice work of art Anthony...Well done well done

another complete package... Sounds, models, Airfile, VC, textures, I can't wait to see whats next on the drawing board

Congrats on the release

vora

April 30th, 2011, 05:25

Holy Batman! Moth, Sierra and now the Drifter.. the first two are already used excessively and the last one has best chances to join.
Anthony, you're a genius!

Ferry_vO

April 30th, 2011, 06:00

Thanks Anthony, it's a wonderful model with lots of great little details. :applause:

will_b

April 30th, 2011, 11:53

I've been waiting for an ultralight akin to Bill Lyons' Quad City Challenger ever since FSX came out and this looks like it. and some.

Thanks Anthony :salute:

OleBoy

April 30th, 2011, 17:28

I was so wrapped up in seeing the photos, and what I have going on with my own project, I didn't even realize I could enjoy a test flight for free!! :icon_lol:

Downloading.
And to add, two more words; Fantasticuliciously Amazing!!

The shots where I was tooling up the river, well, without a paddle. I had to get out to turn it around and got wet. Go figure. No current in FSX rivers!!

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/2988/2011may1001.jpg
http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/3112/2011may1002.jpg
http://img863.imageshack.us/img863/9500/2011may1003.jpg
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/7543/2011may1004.jpg

falcon409

April 30th, 2011, 21:39

Well, the demo clinched it for me. Just made the purchase. A real masterpiece Anthony!!:salute:

Paul Anderson

May 1st, 2011, 03:53

Sold!

Bruce Thompson

May 1st, 2011, 06:55

Anthony thanks for the Demo, I will be buying this it's teriffic! the level of detail is amazing.:applause::applause::applause:

Regards

Bruce.

sim-paticissimo

May 1st, 2011, 07:47

Mr Anthony you have gathered the ultralight spirit! After tried the demo for a few seconds I made the purchese: I have flwon an ULM like this (not actually a drifter, it was a firefox, same engine and the structure is very similar) and I can hear the same sounds, the actual rotax sound, it seems to be into the wind! And the dynamics are very realistic, I feel there! Thank you very much!:applause:

Stefano Zibell

May 1st, 2011, 09:47

Just flown it from Sitka all the way to Kake, crazy winds on climb out, stalled twice. Navigating through those mountains on such a small aircraft is one of the craziest things i've done on FS. Strongly recommend it.

Roger

May 1st, 2011, 10:12

Lovely stuff Ant. Got the demo and will buy the pack this week.

falcon409

May 1st, 2011, 18:03

Anthony, as a rule, I don't fly low and slow. . .too boring and wayyyyyy too slow for my blood. Every once in a while, something comes along though that goes against that rule and your "Drifter" is one of those "somethings". It's not just the crisp texturing, the realistic look, the sound file, the pilot and passenger or the cool little extras, like the tie-downs or the pitot covers or even the very cool GPS. It's all of those things and the way it all combines to make what I would normally consider pretty boring flying. . . .a very realistic experience.

Thanks for what you've done here. . .it's a blast!! BIG Time!! Oh, and did I mention the cool GPS. . .yea, very cool, lol.:salute::salute:

anthony31

May 1st, 2011, 19:42

Thanks everyone

I'm glad you all are enjoying the plane.

I thought many people would look at an ultralight and just automatically say "not interested" so the idea of a fully flyable demo seemed a great way to get people interested in this type of aircraft.

BTW. The Drifter is now available via simmarket at:

http://secure.simmarket.com/ants-airplanes-drifter-ultralight.phtml

For those interested in statistics my Tiger Moth has 47,609 triangle in the model, the Sierra 86,549 and the Drifter 148,936

Dain Arns

May 1st, 2011, 23:07

Thanks everyone

I'm glad you all are enjoying the plane.

I thought many people would look at an ultralight and just automatically say "not interested" so the idea of a fully flyable demo seemed a great way to get people interested in this type of aircraft.

You're welcome, Anthony. The praise is well deserved.
You really did a great job. The more I fly it, the more I details I find.
Especially love the authentic sounds on the full version
The "Rotax Rattle" brings back good memories of a misspent youth in ultralights. :icon_lol:
Wish more folks would do ultralights in such detail.

Also wish someone would do the larger cousin of the Drifter that Lockwood also had a hand in.
The Leza-Lockwood AirCam.
Very broadly, the larger, twin engine version of the Drifter that was designed to put an IMAX camera out front for filming a National Geographic film in Africa.
The "Flying Canoe" has plenty of power, twin engine reliability, and puts the pilot even farther out than the Drifter.
Great for outdoor expeditions.
I had a version for FS9, but it does not port over unfortunately.

Meanwhile Anthony, I am enjoying your full version of the Drifter immensely.
Thanks again to you, I now can enjoy a misspent middle age. :icon_lol:

(AirCam videos included for those interested.)

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XWMhjLKgbpI?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="640"></iframe>

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9HYY27Dd9zw?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="640"></iframe>

YoYo

May 2nd, 2011, 15:01

Wow, very nice video. The first is great!
Anthony. Is it possible to create small patch for Drifter with this tundra wheels?
Perhaps its custom modification but very good for bush pilots :wiggle:.

JoeW

May 2nd, 2011, 15:35

If I remember right ...... these are built down here in Avon Park, about 25 miles from me.

Dain Arns

May 2nd, 2011, 16:08

Wow, very nice video. The first is great!
Anthony. Is it possible to create small patch for Drifter with this tundra wheels?
Perhaps its custom modification but very good for bush pilots :wiggle:.

Sorry if I confused some folks, those are not Drifters in the videos, they are AirCams.
Similar in style, but built by a different company. AirCams are twin engine, faster, and much larger also.
I have never seen a Drifter with Tundra tires, don't know if it could even handle those type of tires. :kilroy:

http://www.aircam.com/

If I remember right ...... these are built down here in Avon Park, about 25 miles from me.

I beilieve you are correct, Joe.
Their official address is Sebring, but I see them operate out of Avon Park Executive Airport in a lot of videos.

dvj

May 2nd, 2011, 22:24

falcon409

May 2nd, 2011, 22:34

Hmmm, do you need a pilot's license to fly those things? The FAA would like to talk to these guys given the low altitude hot-dogging, or are ultralights exempt from meeting such regs?

Very cool video otherwise. Real fight freedom. I'd like to see the twin for FSX done.
I think that's one of the reasons Ultralights got such a bad name for a period of time after they first arrived on the scene with the likes of the "Quicksilver" and other similar aircraft. You only needed a certain number of hours of instruction by a "qualified" instructor and just about anyone could buy and fly an ultralight. Unfortunately, a lot of those "pilots" didn't posses a lot of common sense to go along with the airplane they'd just purchased. Consequently what got the most press were the accidents, caused by pilot stupidity (as opposed to pilot error), and the ultralight was unjustly tagged as an unsafe aircraft when it was actually the idiots flying them that were unsafe.

dvj

May 2nd, 2011, 22:59

Thanks everyone

I'm glad you all are enjoying the plane.

I thought many people would look at an ultralight and just automatically say "not interested" so the idea of a fully flyable demo seemed a great way to get people interested in this type of aircraft.

BTW. The Drifter is now available via simmarket at:

http://secure.simmarket.com/ants-airplanes-drifter-ultralight.phtml

For those interested in statistics my Tiger Moth has 47,609 triangle in the model, the Sierra 86,549 and the Drifter 148,936

Absolutly brillient marketing. The Demo is a real blast. Planning to upgrade soon.

d

Dain Arns

May 3rd, 2011, 11:41

FAR 103 covers ultralight operations in the US.
The Drifter is outside the limits for an ultralight here in the US and would require a license.
The AirCam definitely would and requires a multi-engine rating as well.

I think that's one of the reasons Ultralights got such a bad name for a period of time after they first arrived on the scene with the likes of the "Quicksilver" and other similar aircraft. You only needed a certain number of hours of instruction by a "qualified" instructor and just about anyone could buy and fly an ultralight. Unfortunately, a lot of those "pilots" didn't posses a lot of common sense to go along with the airplane they'd just purchased. Consequently what got the most press were the accidents, caused by pilot stupidity (as opposed to pilot error), and the ultralight was unjustly tagged as an unsafe aircraft when it was actually the idiots flying them that were unsafe.

I would agree Ed. I lived it.
A lot of guys had no common sense back then.
Usually, if they survived, they scared themselves out of the "hobby" immediately.
I had a licensed pilot as my instructor, and he was by the book.
Also, some designs were just not as well engineered as they are today.
30 years has seen a lot of improvements.
I don't think you could get me into an Eipper Quicksilver these days. :icon_lol:

falcon409

May 3rd, 2011, 11:46

FAR 103 covers ultralight operations in the US.
The Drifter is outside the limits for an ultralight here in the US and would require a license. . . . . . .
Is that because of speed restrictions Dain or is there something else (weight possibly or a combination of both)?

Dain Arns

May 3rd, 2011, 12:04

Is that because of speed restrictions Dain or is there something else (weight possibly or a combination of both)?

Main reason, it has an extra seat. FAA feels it's okay to kill yourself, not a passenger. :icon_lol:

Weight for sure, seems like it exceeds the max speed by 20kts (guessing), and definitely has more than a 5 gallon fuel tank.
That's off the top of my head. Haven't looked at FAR 103 in quite a few years now.

Fireball6

May 5th, 2011, 05:26

Anthony did another fantastic job with the Drifter - and the Paint-Kit also ! After playing a bit with it, this is my first Repaint for this Beauty. Nothing special, Denmark registrated UL.

More to come .........

Greetings :wavey: Dirk

Edit: Pic3 with new/other Tail-Section

anthony31

May 5th, 2011, 20:15

Thanks Dirk

Nice detail on the tail there with the kangaroo

Looking forward to seeing some more repaints.

anthony31

May 6th, 2011, 18:16

For all those with american dollars you can now buy the Drifter from fspilotshop here:

http://www.fspilotshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=3124

The price is $20.95 US. Sorry the price is so high but the US dollar is so low in value at the moment.

flaminghotsauce

May 7th, 2011, 02:20

Funny you showld mention the low dollar, Anthony. When you first released the Sierra I was watching the price climb for weeks. I could of course go watch dollar charts.... nah. Looking at airplanes is much more fun.:icon_lol:

Beautiful work Anthony!

Roger

May 7th, 2011, 07:15

Bought the pack after flying the free demo. :ernae:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/rogera/drifter-w-old-1.jpg

Bruce Thompson

May 8th, 2011, 12:54

Bought the pack after flying the free demo. :ernae:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/rogera/drifter-w-old-1.jpg
I did the same Roger, could not resist any longer.

Bruce

Roger

May 8th, 2011, 15:02

I did the same Roger, could not resist any longer.

Bruce

Yeah...it's a bit gorgeous:engel016:

YoYo

January 30th, 2012, 06:57

http://www.flightsimdealoftheday.com/

nice price , 40% off... !

Dain Arns

January 30th, 2012, 10:52

http://www.flightsimdealoftheday.com/

nice price , 40% off... !

Actually that is an AWESOME price! :cool:
Even at the actual price, with the incredible amount of love and detail done by Anthony, it is a 'steal'.
No excuse now for folks to not to have this great UL in their hangars now!

Where else are you going to find an addon where you have to check the amount of fuel left by looking in a mirror?
(Simulated of course) :icon_lol:

jpmouse

January 30th, 2012, 11:04

The Drifter is 12USD @ PCAviator this week. http://www.pcaviator.com/store/

roger-wilco-66

January 30th, 2012, 12:49

WOW! I also bought that masterpiece now. Beautiful work, I must say, I love it. Thanks for the head-up!

Cheers,
Mark

PS: I had - for whatever reasons - some sort of resentment against ULs. Not even 3 weeks ago I flew with a very nice American guy in a weight shift controlled UL over the ancient Angkor Wat temple sites in Cambodia. My resentment shall be gone forever...