Velocity over Florida – Performance Meets Reality
Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 4:10 pmThe Velocity XL is one of those aircraft that stands out – not because of glass cockpits or fancy systems, but because of what it is. A canard-configured, homebuilt four-seater with real-world performance that rivals certified GA aircraft. It's part of the Experimental Amateur-Built category in the US, and it shows: elegant, fast, and not built to please certification standards but to fly with purpose.
According to FAA data, there are over 400 registered Velocities in the US. The XL is the biggest and most capable version – a serious travel machine, but still a kit-built aircraft at heart.
Technical overview – Velocity XL-RG:
Cruise speed: 190–200 KTAS
Range: approx. 1,000 NM
Ceiling: up to 25,000 ft (in principle)
Pressurization: None
De-icing: None
Oxygen: Required above 12,500 ft (US regs: if more than 30 minutes)
The aircraft can climb high – but it’s a non-pressurized piston aircraft. That matters when the weather turns rough, or when a tempting shortcut leads through trouble.
Flight report: KEYW – KDAB (aborted)
I planned a simple cross-state flight from Key West (KEYW) to Daytona Beach (KDAB). Nothing special on the METARs – some isolated storms forecast. I launched in the Velocity XL, expecting a smooth ride and maybe a bit of dodging.
But what appeared wasn’t a cell – it was a full storm front, stretching across my path with no way under, over, or around.
Let’s be clear:
This is a fast, responsive aircraft – but it’s not built for weather penetration. No radar, no de-icing, no margin of error. So I turned around and diverted south.
Emergency landing: KTNT – Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport
I ended up at KTNT, one of those ghost airports deep in the Florida Everglades. A 10,500-foot runway with no tower, no lights, no life. Originally built for supersonic aircraft in the 1970s – now just a stretch of hot concrete.
But for me, that day, it was perfect.
Lessons from the cockpit
The Velocity XL is a capable aircraft – but it comes with limitations. It's not IFR by default, and in real-world terms, it’s a “weather-permitting” VFR platform, unless heavily modified.
In the sim, as in real life, you learn quickly:
Altitude ≠ immunity
Speed ≠ invincibility
Experimental ≠ careless
And yes – you can fly high. But above 12,500 ft, even in the sim, oxygen matters if you’re doing it with any sense of realism.
Summary
If you want a GA aircraft in MSFS that’s not another Cessna or Piper clone, the Velocity XL offers something unique: sleek lines, responsive controls, and a mindset that belongs more to engineers and adventurers than checklist warriors.
The TDS GTN 750 is supported and works beautifully – but it’s optional, not required. You can fly this aircraft by the book with simpler avionics, as long as you understand what you’re doing.
But it’s still a piston aircraft, with all the vulnerability that implies.
(MSFS 2020, Just Flight
https://www.justflight.com/product/blac ... elocity-xl
According to FAA data, there are over 400 registered Velocities in the US. The XL is the biggest and most capable version – a serious travel machine, but still a kit-built aircraft at heart.
Technical overview – Velocity XL-RG:
Cruise speed: 190–200 KTAS
Range: approx. 1,000 NM
Ceiling: up to 25,000 ft (in principle)
Pressurization: None
De-icing: None
Oxygen: Required above 12,500 ft (US regs: if more than 30 minutes)
The aircraft can climb high – but it’s a non-pressurized piston aircraft. That matters when the weather turns rough, or when a tempting shortcut leads through trouble.
Flight report: KEYW – KDAB (aborted)
I planned a simple cross-state flight from Key West (KEYW) to Daytona Beach (KDAB). Nothing special on the METARs – some isolated storms forecast. I launched in the Velocity XL, expecting a smooth ride and maybe a bit of dodging.
But what appeared wasn’t a cell – it was a full storm front, stretching across my path with no way under, over, or around.
Let’s be clear:
This is a fast, responsive aircraft – but it’s not built for weather penetration. No radar, no de-icing, no margin of error. So I turned around and diverted south.
Emergency landing: KTNT – Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport
I ended up at KTNT, one of those ghost airports deep in the Florida Everglades. A 10,500-foot runway with no tower, no lights, no life. Originally built for supersonic aircraft in the 1970s – now just a stretch of hot concrete.
But for me, that day, it was perfect.
Lessons from the cockpit
The Velocity XL is a capable aircraft – but it comes with limitations. It's not IFR by default, and in real-world terms, it’s a “weather-permitting” VFR platform, unless heavily modified.
In the sim, as in real life, you learn quickly:
Altitude ≠ immunity
Speed ≠ invincibility
Experimental ≠ careless
And yes – you can fly high. But above 12,500 ft, even in the sim, oxygen matters if you’re doing it with any sense of realism.
Summary
If you want a GA aircraft in MSFS that’s not another Cessna or Piper clone, the Velocity XL offers something unique: sleek lines, responsive controls, and a mindset that belongs more to engineers and adventurers than checklist warriors.
The TDS GTN 750 is supported and works beautifully – but it’s optional, not required. You can fly this aircraft by the book with simpler avionics, as long as you understand what you’re doing.
But it’s still a piston aircraft, with all the vulnerability that implies.
(MSFS 2020, Just Flight
https://www.justflight.com/product/blac ... elocity-xl