FSX RAF Twin Pioneer XM940

This repaint depicts the Royal Air Force Twin Pioneer XM940, reflecting its appearance in 1967 during service at RAF Khormaksar in Aden (in present-day Yemen). The included textures, crafted by Peter Watkins, are designed for Rob Richardson’s freeware Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer intended for Microsoft Flight Simulator X Acceleration. Throughout its operational history, XM940 flew predominately in the Middle East before being withdrawn from use and dismantled at Muharraq in October 1968. This repaint is freeware and does not include the base model; the base aircraft by Rob Richardson is also freeware and available in the Fly Away Simulation library.

Historic Details of the Aircraft

Scottish Aviation’s Twin Pioneer featured a distinctive triple-fin tail arrangement, along with fixed tailwheel landing gear and two Alvis Leonides 531 radial engines. This high-wing, short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility transport flew for the first time in June 1955, showcasing exceptional performance in remote and rugged environments. Later modifications included Series 2 variants powered by Pratt & Whitney Wasp R-1340 radials, followed by Series 3 aircraft that continued refining the Alvis Leonides powerplant. XM940 was the 549th airframe produced and was delivered to the RAF in 1958.

Middle East Operations

From the late 1950s onward, XM940 operated in challenging desert conditions where STOL capabilities were crucial. At RAF Khormaksar, the type proved special thanks to its remarkable lift and thrust during high-temperature flights, enabling consistent cargo and troop movement. After active duty, the aircraft’s final days concluded with its disposal at Muharraq in Bahrain.

Repaint Installation Details

After downloading the freeware base model from the Fly Away Simulation library, place the newly provided texture folder into your existing “Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer” directory found inside the SimObjects > Airplanes folder. Then, open the aircraft.cfg file in that folder and add the following entry. Be sure to replace xx with the next valid sequence number to maintain accurate liveries in your simulator setup.

[fltsim.xx]
title=Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer XM940
sim=Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=XM940
kb_checklists=//Twin_Pioneer_check//
kb_ref=//Twin_Pioneer_ref//
atc_id=XM940
ui_manufacturer=Scottish Aviation
ui_type=Twin Pioneer
ui_variation=XM940
description=Powered by two Alvis Leonides 531 radial engines, the Twin Pioneer was a high-wing cabin monoplane with a triple fin and rudder assembly and fixed tailwheel undercarriage. The prototype Twin Pioneer, registered G-ANTP, first flew at Prestwick Airport on 25 June 1955. Flight trials proved that the aircraft had a very short landing run and the aircraft was displayed at the September 1955 Society of British Aircraft Constructors Show at Farnborough.
Three pre-production aircraft were built for trials, and sales and demonstrations.
In 1958, the 33rd aircraft was used as a prototype for the Series 2 with Pratt & Whitney Wasp R-1340 radial engines which had been ordered by Philippine Air Lines. A Series 3 aircraft was also developed to use the improved Alvis Leonides 531 radial engine.

Repaint by Peter Watkins