The next entry in the Local Legends aircraft series for Microsoft Flight Simulator has released, bringing the German-made Junkers F-13 into the sim. Predecessor the to JU-52 that released back in 2021, this single-engine piston has a special spot in aviation history as the first all-metal transport plane in the world.
Announced during the Xbox @ Gamescom 22 Live presentation, the JU F-13 is an old, but gold bird. She first flew all the way back in 1919 as a innovation of the post-WWI age of aviation.
Back to the basics
Asobo worked with a German programmer and replicas of the aircraft to really create an in-depth representation of this vintage flier. She comes to Microsoft Flight Simulator with four variants: three “vintage” based versions, with gears, floats and skis and a fourth replica version, which has newer gauges and safety parameters from the modern era.
Before the F-13, it was pretty standard to fly in a plane that was made out of nothing but fabric and wood. Such materials allowed for quicker assembly of planes and kept them lightweight, but it came at the expense of durability and resiliency.
The F-13 proved that an aircraft could be fully built out of metal and be powerful enough to sustain flight even while using the heavier material. With a maximum speed of 93 knots (1o7 MPH / 173 KM/H), the Junkers F-13 isn’t the fastest. But she does have style, grace, and class, which is why she’s been preserved so well over the years.
Asobo has released the Junkers F-13 on the Microsoft Flight Simulator marketplace for the standard $14.99 USD. This German bird also released alongside a new kind of update for the sim, City Updates, which has enhanced five cities across Germany itself.
The Junkers F-13 is also joined this month by another vintage plane, the Beechcraft Bonanza V35, which launched just a few days ago as the third Famous Flier aircraft.
