Just Flight PA-38 Tomahawk

By Spencer Doyle

The Piper PA-38 Tomahawk is a small, piston-engine, fixed tricycle gear, two-seater designed as an ideal trainer. Introduced in 1977, Piper enlisted the input of flight instructors who wanted a trainer that was more capable of spinning, which eventually led to the Tomahawk’s nickname, “Traumahawk.” The recently released PA-38 Tomahawk for Microsoft Flight Simulator was developed by Just Flight.

Just Flight is a third-party developer of flight simulation products, including aircraft and scenery. They’ve been on the flight sim scene since 1995 and have developed products for multiple platforms throughout the years. For Microsoft Flight Simulator, they have also developed and released the F28 Professional, the 146 Professional, the Hawk T1/A Advanced Trainer, PA-28-161 Warrior II, PA-28R Arrow III, PA-28R Turbo Arrow III/IV, and the Avro Vulcan B Mk.2, K.2 & MRR package. Just Flight has a well-earned reputation for quality, in-depth systems modeling, quality sounds, and accurate flight models. I have flown all their offerings for MSFS, and it is my opinion that all of them exhibit these characteristics.

Just Flight’s Tomahawk, available from their website (www.justflight.com) for $41.99, boasts an accurate flight model, ground equipment (chocks, tiedowns, etc.), a robust tablet/EFB, aircraft failures, persistence, support for Navigraph charts & SimBrief integration, several GPS unit options, a walkaround mode, and much more.

Upon loading up the Tomahawk in-sim, the first thing that struck me was the quality of the 3D model and texturing, which adds a high level of immersion. Before firing up the engine, I completed the preflight checklist and started the walkaround. The Tomahawk has several cameras set up outside, allowing you to walk from point to point to complete your external walkaround, checking the tire pressure, fuel levels, removing tie-downs, chocks, and pitot cover, checking the ailerons, flaps, elevator, rudder, etc. Back in the cockpit and continuing the checklist, I had to make sure all the circuit breakers were pushed in, as the Just Flight Tomahawk has fully functioning circuit breakers throughout.

While you can theoretically skip many checklist steps on planes modeled with fewer systems, this is not advisable for the Tomahawk. The engine needs to be properly primed before starting. Spark plugs can foul, and the magnetos need to be checked on your runup. Carburetor icing can also happen, so the carb heat is functional as well.

After I got airborne, a few more things stood out about this little trainer from Just Flight. First, the visibility out of the cockpit is great, with a lot of glass surrounding the pilot and few obstructions, which is convenient as I primarily use it for VFR flying. The audio is immersive, with every switch and button making an appropriate sound, with a realistic sounding engine, all utilizing Wwise sound technology. While the Just Flight Tomahawk offers several GPS options, I opted to fly without GPS, going with the SL30 & SL40 radio stack. In my experience, the SL30 is the most feature-rich radio of this kind in the simulator. This little unit allows you to save and recall COM & NAV frequencies, see TO/FROM radial information, activate an OBS mode, and even a DST (Distance Speed Time) display. The aircraft also supports a Garmin 530/430 stack, a Garmin GTN 750 or Garmin TDS GTNXi (both purchased separately), all of which are solid options with robust systems. There is no crossfeed fuel, so you need to manually switch fuel at certain time intervals. Conveniently, the Garmin GTX 328 Transponder here is modeled with a timer that I use for this purpose. The transponder itself is also feature-rich, including displays for Pressure Altitude, Flight Time, Altitude Monitor, Outside Air Temperature, and timers in various formats. While I have not flown a real Tomahawk, Just Flight did elicit input from real Tomahawk pilots for the flight model. From my perspective, the result is a believably realistic flying experience and is just a joy to handle.

With no autopilot (outside of the tablet) and no internal aileron or rudder trim, flying the Tomahawk is very much a hands-on experience, but an enjoyable one.

As with all Just Flight’s MSFS offerings, the Tomahawk comes equipped with a Tablet/EFB that can be displayed or hidden away. If you create a flight plan through SimBrief, you can view the Operational Flight Plan through the tablet. With your Navigraph subscription, you can also view those charts here. You can also view a moving map, calculate descent, view checklists, advance through your walkaround, and change various aircraft settings and perform maintenance. Also, while the Tomahawk itself does not have an autopilot, you can use autopilot functions through the tablet if you wish to do so.

So far, I have really enjoyed my time with the Just Flight Tomahawk. The aircraft is beautifully modeled, sounds great, and the systems are deep enough to support faithfully following checklists and flying by the numbers. The aircraft has all of the bells and whistles you could possibly want and has already become my personal go-to for low and slow VFR flying. Happy flying!