The pursuit of the ultimate
freestyle aerobatic machine...
Let's get ready to tumble!!!
ARX-5 Coyote
Role
Aerobatic concept
Introduced
FS2002
First release
FS2002
Current
version
Version 2.1 for FSX
Models
A - unreleased O-540
T - PT-6A
V - unreleased V-tail
X - V-8 version
R - Refit V-8 version
Made in Malibu!
Project Credits
Jason L. Terry & Mike Vivaldi
Additional Skins Credits:
Josh Nyhus & Brady Duros
Design and Development
The Concept 5 is an aerobatic aircraft designed for both high-end
freestyle maneuvers and compulsory competition flying at the Unlimited
level. It began in Aircraft Factory 5 as a fairly straight forward
Lycoming 540 powered monoplane for FS5, but after I switched to FSDS as
a design tool, it quickly evolved to a family
of aerobatic aircraft with different configurations and different powerplants.
The first modification was a V-tailed model which, while perfectly
feasible, is very confusing to try and look at and judge maneuvers from
the ground. The easiest aerobatic
planes for judges in the box to rank, are the ones with the straightest
lines and the most 90° angles. Usually monoplanes. So a V-tail version
was nothing more than an experiment, since it looks like it's tumbling,
even when it's not.
Then came the Turbo-Coyote, with a Pratt & Whitney PT-6A turboprop up
front. All the power you ever need is useless if you have to wait for a
turbine to spool up while you're low to the ground, which is actually
what led to the demise of the first turboprop unlimited aerobatic plane:
The Oracle Turbo Raven. Fortunately, the pilot, Wayne Handley, made a
full recovery and survived to fly on. But in the minds of many, the idea
of a turbine unlimited aerobatic plane sort of died right there with the
Turbo Raven.
Then along came a company called Orenda... and a
495cu. in. V-8 aviation engine that had the power of a turbine but the
response of a reciprocating piston engine that runs on 100LL that can be
retrofitted onto any production aircraft that used the PT-6A. And so the
ARX-5 model X was born. Orenda has since been bought out by Trace
Engines of Midland, Tx. But the Model X download for FSX still has a few
Orenda logo's on them, for old time's sake.
Currently the Coyote -- specifically the Type X, is every
idea for an aerobatic plane that I have ever had. If it were 100%
perfect, it would be a biplane, ...but such is life. Not a plane
for everyone, the Coyote-X is oriented around freestyle flying, but
should prove docile enough for most pilots to fly compulsory maneuvers
as well. It's not perfect, it's just perfect for some. If you're
used to heavy iron flying, you will probably end up upside down beside
the runway the first time you try to fly this. And if you're new to
aerobatics, this plane will probably get you into a lot of bad habits
(no, not every aerobatic plane can climb straight up on takeoff!) So
honestly, it's not a good beginner aerobatic plane at all, it's no place
to start! Instead it's the wild ending of a long search for the ultimate
aerobatic machine.
I live to fly aerobatics, and no plane I've ever
built, or flown in my years of flying them in FS had that "custom fit"
feel to them. I've made many real world aerobatic planes over the years
by myself, and sometimes with my good friend Mikko Maliniemi, and it's
very difficult to make an aerobatic plane that is lazy enough for the
average simmer, but still have the ability to get crazy with gyroscopic
tumbles, and so every aerobatic plane I've ever made for FS was done
with that in mind -- trying to appeal to a wider audience. However,
being a concept plane, I designed this plane with all the things that I personally
wanted to have in an aerobatic dream machine. To all those who share my
wants, ...your plane is here!
This plane, as with all of the first six concepts, was
mostly created at our fancy mountaintop Malibu Facility, and so much
tweaking was done to this plane (and a few others along the way) that we
eventually wound up starting our own separate "Hot Rod Factory" down on
the beach, called Malibu Motor Sports...MMS for short.
Many of our planes (and various other vehicles) since
then have had the MMS logo but this plane is actually where it
started.
Models & Downloads
Model A The model A is a standard
Lycoming-540 powered single-seat aerobatic aerobatic monoplane - the forerunner
to all versions.
It is the basic Concept 5.
A release sometime in the distant future is always possible
if we get bored enough, but we're simply not planning on it.
Model V The model V is a modified
version of the Model A, the only difference is a V-tail.
The Coyote V is the least popular of the line, as well as the least well performing.
It's prototype-only, and will probably never see public release on any major
website, but it does
indeed exist and may eventually be available on this
website only.
Model R
The Coyote R is a modified version of the Model X, specially made for
Austin "Firestorm"
Gardner for his 2012-14 Airshow season. It is essentially a a modded
version of the ARX-5X, but includes a new tail, swept struts, tinted
canopy glass, smoked chrome pipes, as well as all smoked-chrome on all
the metal hardware
Model T The Coyote T is a modified airframe (gear struts, wings, tail) built around the standard fuselage with a modified nose for a Pratt & Whitney
PT6 turboprop engine. The "Turbo Coyote" is the fastest of the fleet
by far, and is the
forerunner to the Model X.
Model X The Model X is based off of, and built around, the
600hp Trace/Orenda V-8 reciprocating aviation engine mentioned above.
This explains why the nose of the plane has obvious similarities to typical
turboprop airplanes. While it is only the second fastest
of
the family, the Coyote X is the best performing aircraft when it comes to
aerobatics, due to it's high horsepower and quick throttle response -
this is the definitive version of this concept,
available for FS2002 through FSX!
ARX-5X Version 2.1
For FSX
43.1MB
Version 2.0 was removed from the site on Dec 01
2012. Version 2.1 is now the current standard version.
2012
Expansion Pack For
FSX- 8.7MB (Skins
only) Requires Version 2.1 above.
In Version 2 this aircraft is represented in two
separate liveries, one new for FSX, and the other being the original from 2003.
N501X
First flight 6-15-04
Included in the Version 2 package
One of two flagships of our "hot rod factory" at Malibu MotorSports,
(the other being the
Roadrunner
N6JT)
N502X
First flight 10-22-05
Included in the Version 2 package
Originally planned to be a Texaco Oil scheme, this
was changed in lieu of FSX's ability to support "day-glo" colors via specular
mapping - the ability to change colors when in sunlight.
This is the first attempt at a "day-glo" scheme on
any of our concepts. (purple/cyan)