Wilco Airbus - I still have some questions before buying

[mozart 1]

I have researched on this and other forums some questions I have around the Wilco Airbus series. Still I have some questions.The situation is that I have been using the PSS Airbus panels since they came out. For shorthaul, I merged PSS + iFDG planes; for longhaul I merged PSS + POSKY planes (A330-A340). For the A340-500 and -600, I merged the PSS panel with CLS plane, but neither was that realistic (wrong cockpit, wrong values in FMCG), nor did they fly very well.So I researched about possibilities to upgrade my Airbus flying. What I am looking for:

• a panel "experience" as least as complex as PSS. For instance, the CLS panels don't do it for me
• the possibility to merge that panel with a good visual model that has many repaints. No matter whether it`s freeware or payware. So, if whatever panel I bought is mergeable with the POSKY A330/A343, the CLS A346 and the iFDG A318/A319/320/321 then I`m happy. Having said that, I`d also be happy to consider other visual models, e.g. use all the CLS longhaulers or stick with the Wilco shorthaulers. If there are enough repaints

Thus my questions:

1. Are the Wilco Airbus panels the best "experience" in terms of sophistication and complexity? Much better than PSS?
2. What is the range of repaints offered by the Wilco package? Wide? Or better to merge the Wilco panels with other visual models to have access to a wider range of repaints?
3. Is the Wilco panel mergeable with any of the above I mentioned (POSKY, iFDG, CLS, etc.)? Are those "easy" merges (i.e. copy paste of files and folders plus modifications to some .cfg files), or do they require complex manipulations with an addon software (there seems to be somthing like FS panels or so that can do these kind of things).
4. I read elsewhere that the Wilco panels have bugs. For instance some people have reported that they can`t do proper autolands with the Wilcos. Would that problem be avoided if I merged the panel with another plane and used that other planes aircraft.cfg and .air file? Or is the inability to properly capture and follow an ILS a bug that is in the panel and will "pursue it" into every merge combination?
5. Is the AIRAC data on the Wilco FMCG updateable? Is it included in the update for the other Wilco/FeelThere planes? I didn't see it mentioned on the Navigraph site, neither as a standalone update nor as included in the Wilco planes.

I understand that some solutions are cheaper than Wilco, but I am not after the lowest price, but after upgrading my Airbus flying experience.If nothing of all the above works, I`ll stick with my PSS panels and the iFDG/POSKY merges, and I'll have to do without flying the A340-600 (which I'd regret).Thanks

[Guest iberia999]

Hi,Answers to your questions:1. This will usually depend on taste. It's a matter of taste. I personally like PSS more because I'm used to it more and I really like the way you can switch easily between the pedestal and overhead. PSS simulates the airbuses really nicely though leaving the ADIRS and some other functions out. The ADIRS is like the Airbus IRS which is something that Wilco simulates really nicely, something that PSS was missing in their airbus series. Wilco is really nice and will demand a bit more than PSS believe it or not. The MCDU is modeled even better than PSS because it will respond in the same exact way the real Airbus will.2. Wilco offers a variety of repaints. When you purchase the boxed version, the installer will install the repaints that come with it. If you are interested in checking out which liveries come with the standard package, go to www.wilcopub.com. I am Spanish and so I mainly fly Spanish airlines. Wilco is kind of limited to many airlines. For instance, they don't feature Vueling or Clickair. But again, they selected airlines that have been operating the airbus series for quite a while and not the ones that have currently started flying them since 2 years or something, like Air Asia.3. For Wilco Airbuses (A32X series), you can merge the Wilco panel with the Project Airbus A32X Series. The Wilco model is alright but you just cannot compare it to the detail that Project Airbus has to offer. Project Airbus is so much better than IFDG and will feature realistic Airbus dynamics.For the Wilco Long Haul Series, you can merge the panel with the great Overland models. I have never tried it before on the POSKY series simply because I have not been able to or find instructions on how to merge them. For PSS, you can actually merge them with CLS as you said but this tends to be rather complicating.I usually fly the Project Airbuses with PSS merged because I really like flying the PSS A32X series. I am just used to them more which is why I continue flying them (www.youtube.com/user/A320royalty).4. About the Wilco bugs, this something I have constantly been hearing of but I have nothing to complain about. I really like the way it flies and how it is used. It features FLYBYWIRE Airbus Flight protection really nicely. Like if you try flying around 8,000ft, and then try to bank as much as you can, you will see that it will align itself back to the upright horizontal position. To tell you the truth, there aren't any Wilco bugs. Wilco has improved its standard package. When you buy them now, there will be no problem, but however when they were first released, people did complain about some bugs.I currently keep on flying them and I have no issues with them. Just remember that it is different than PSS and it will take a bit of time to get used to. You also have to use the two mouse buttons to use some buttons and functions on the panel, something that PSS doesn't have which is quite nice. One thing you should remember is that Wilco inserted a partially visible accessing logo pane on the bottom left part of the screen. You will have to move your mouse around the bottome left, exactly left to the screen, and you will see that as soon as you move your mouse on top of that one section of the screen, a LOGO PANE will appear allowing you to switch between Pedestal, Overhead, THrottle views, etc. This became a problem when I started flying them because I had no idea how to access them until I randomly moved my mouse over that section of the display.5. Yes, Wilco Airbuses are updateable with AIRAC. I only have one problem which is why I still continue flying the PSS series, the SIDs and STARs are not accurately made for the Wilco. Like for instance, in Barcelona, the LARPA departure code is wrongly made. With the PSS you would see that within 30 miles you have done a lot of turns. But the Wilco seems to not have proper SIDs and STARs.My opinion is that you will still have fun with the wilco mate! It is nice if you really want to fly the A340-600 because CLS epically failed to make them good and left out so many things. CLS has a bad FMC!!! And it is not real at all. Wilco has a fully functioning A340-600 that is almost exactly the same as the real one. The only thing that you don't get with Wilco's like any other addon is the ECAM Camera displays. This is obviously not even simulated in the PSS series but it would have been nice if they had that :( What should you do: buy the long haul series but not the short-haul series. I personally like the PSS A32X series much better and especially merged with the Project Airbuses. This depends on your taste of flying. Some people prefer flying the Project Airbuses merged with the Wilco A32X series. You can see this in www.youtube.com/user/flyingfilipeThis guy uses that merge but I don't. Most Airbus fans will usually fly the PSS series and continue with them.Another thing that I can suggest you is to wait for the airsimmer A32X series since they will feature an overall realistic Airbus package with an extremely nice VC, FMS, cockpit, everything!!!www.airsimmer.comCheers and happy landings!-James

[ehasanov1 1]

HiFirst of all visit this site:http://forum.iemit.com/Now your questions:1. Wilco panel gives better experience, only visually. Regarding system simulation and autoflight simulation, PSS is much betterYou have wide range of repaints (see forum above)2.I don't know about merge .3.Yes it is full of bugs and I don't fly this bird anymore. Systems are not simulated correctly (much better in PSS), but this is not the biggest problem because this part will see only people familiar with the systems :( The biggest problem is autoflight. Managed mode is not simulated correctly, pseudowaypoint recalculation does not work (the biggest bug). And I suggest You to skip this aircraft and wait for Airsimmer hopefully.Only good thing is FBW system. It works as it should.And last thing :I just read on navigraph.com forum that they stopped all support for the Airbus series since they can't get in touch with the Wilco crew :( So unless Wilco opens up this wont be solved.ByeEdin

I have researched on this and other forums some questions I have around the Wilco Airbus series. Still I have some questions.Thus my questions:

1. Are the Wilco Airbus panels the best "experience" in terms of sophistication and complexity? Much better than PSS?
2. What is the range of repaints offered by the Wilco package? Wide? Or better to merge the Wilco panels with other visual models to have access to a wider range of repaints?
3. Is the Wilco panel mergeable with any of the above I mentioned (POSKY, iFDG, CLS, etc.)? Are those "easy" merges (i.e. copy paste of files and folders plus modifications to some .cfg files), or do they require complex manipulations with an addon software (there seems to be somthing like FS panels or so that can do these kind of things).
4. I read elsewhere that the Wilco panels have bugs. For instance some people have reported that they can`t do proper autolands with the Wilcos. Would that problem be avoided if I merged the panel with another plane and used that other planes aircraft.cfg and .air file? Or is the inability to properly capture and follow an ILS a bug that is in the panel and will "pursue it" into every merge combination?
5. Is the AIRAC data on the Wilco FMCG updateable? Is it included in the update for the other Wilco/FeelThere planes? I didn't see it mentioned on the Navigraph site, neither as a standalone update nor as included in the Wilco planes.

I understand that some solutions are cheaper than Wilco, but I am not after the lowest price, but after upgrading my Airbus flying experience.If nothing of all the above works, I`ll stick with my PSS panels and the iFDG/POSKY merges, and I'll have to do without flying the A340-600 (which I'd regret).Thanks

[mozart 1]

GentlemenThanks for your replies. Very detailed, structured and very very helpful.I have since then done the following:

• Bought Wilco Airbus series v1 and v2. Their site is a pain, including a "problem with payment" alert - which made me go through the whole process again, just to find out that my payment had actually gone through the first time. So I paid twice for the same product.But I like their Airbus panels. They have some functionalities that the PSS ones did not have and some other aspects are closer to reality. I once had a problem with managed descent where indeed I had the impression that the FMCG was all confused about the descent profile. But that may have been because I changed arrival runway and STAR in the midst of a descent that I had already started. I'll watch out for this. As for doing autolands, no major problems here. Once by accident I forgot to switch on the second AP after having captured the LOC beam and indeed approach was a bit shaky (undercutting the GS). But on subsequent flights I switched on both APs and the landings were fine. One more thing I am happy about: I finally have a panel that I can use with an A340-600! I haven't used all the panel variations yet, but I am pleased with the result.
• For visual models of the longhaul planes, I already had purchased the A340-600 and -500 from CLS some time back, and I am happy with their looks and the repaints available (always able to resort to Overland). The merge with the Wilco panel works well, I just have some doubts about the speed brakes - but that may have nothing to do with the merger. I'll probably go the CLS way for the A330 and A340s as well, though I first have to check whether all engine variants of the A330 are modeled. For shorthaul I switched to Project Airbus, and this despite the fact that I had been happy with iFDG in the past. Again, the merge with the Wilco panels seems to work fairly well. The one big drawback of Project Airbus is that they do not seem to have an A321, which is a plane I like particularly. Anyone knows whether they plan to do one (I assume so) and if so then when that can be expected. So for the time being, the A321 will be the only plane from my old Airbus fleet that'll stay in my hangar.

In any case, I just wanted to report back. Maybe I did not follow your recommendations 100%, but your explanations and your experience helped me tremendously in making an educated choice.Thanks

[Guest iberia999]

You're welcome :( !By the way, would you still happen to have the tutorial for merging the Wilco A320 Panel with the Project Airbus A320 model?I had it somewhere but I cannot seem to find it, or I may have deleted it in the past.Could you please tell me how you carried out the merge??? :( Happy Landings!!!

[Guest dpiedrahita]

3.Yes it is full of bugs and I don't fly this bird anymore. Systems are not simulated correctly (much better in PSS), but this is not the biggest problem because this part will see only people familiar with the systems :( The biggest problem is autoflight. Managed mode is not simulated correctly, pseudowaypoint recalculation does not work (the biggest bug). And I suggest You to skip this aircraft and wait for Airsimmer hopefully.Only good thing is FBW system. It works as it should.

Hey guys! I was hoping for some elaboration on this subject in the quote above...A buddy of mine has the Vol. 2 Wilco Airbus series and I gave it a try a week or so ago when I was over. I didn't do the nitty gritty FMGC programming, but I took the controls for taxi and TO and got just a few minutes of stick time. Overall, I really enjoyed my limited experience with the product and am definitely interested in taking some time away from Boeings. The ONE problem that unless I can get resolution on WILL PREVENT me from ever purchasing the product is the descent -and maybe climb I don't know- management. We did a flight from EDDF to KCLT and took off in a bit of a hurry (beer was waiting) and forgot to program the STAR into CLT. The FMGC calculated the descent profile to land 18L, and when we got around to changing it to meet the STAR restrictions the FMGC did not recalculate the altitudes. Specifically, we added the alt/spd for MAYOS and MAJIC and essentially what we were left with was those waypoints at the correct altitude with the others remaining unchanged. This is VASTLY different than what I'm used to with LDS767 and PMDG744, where you can make adjustments at any point and the FMC will recalc. Maybe he doesn't have the most current FS9 version, I didn't think to ask. Could it be operator error?I'm ready to spend the money provided this issue has been sorted out. Not to beat a dead horse, but I've searched the forum and internet for tutorials on descent management and can't find anything (did find some great tutorials on YouTube for start/FMGC/climb). I haven't registered on feelThere's forum, although I understand their support has stopped anyway. I truly appreciate your constructive comments based on your firsthand experience with current versions of the product.

[Guest dpiedrahita]

Anyone please? Bueller, Bueller?...From what I can gather FT/Wilco say the problem is resolved, but I'd really appreciate a confirmation. If I spend my money and find out I still have the problem I'll be one unhappy camper. The plane is worthless to me with a problem like that.DP

[twasono 3]

As far as I know, there will be no more SP or patch for Wilco Bus Vol.1 and 2.http://forum.iemit.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=2794So.. if you have bug to complaint... keep it on your shelf... :(br.

[Dillon 2,197]

I was a beta tester for this project (Airbus Vol 1). What I ended up doing later on was adjusting VC eyepoint so I'm correctly sitting in the pilot's seat, I adjusted the induced drag to 1.500 after finding floating problems landing at a few airports, and the biggest improvement were some excellent engine sounds for the IAE engines that were found here on Avsim. I made my own version for the CFM set that made a world of difference in the experiance (I may upload once the file library is back online). I almost forgot that I adjusted (forget off hand because I'm at work now) a setting to lower the nose when at cruise. All of the buses in this package have way too high of an AOA when at cruise, I corrected this...The bottom line is the Wilco/Feelthere Airbus packages are the best you can get for FS at this time. With the mods I mentioned here their actually quite good and stable. I'm waiting on a few promised options to come on the market but until then I'm very happy (especially if I can get those Delta liveries I asked about).... :(

[G7USL 117]

I was a beta tester for this project (Airbus Vol 1). What I ended up doing later on was adjusting VC eyepoint so I'm correctly sitting in the pilot's seat, I adjusted the induced drag to 1.500 after finding floating problems landing at a few airports, and the biggest improvement were some excellent engine sounds for the IAE engines that were found here on Avsim. I made my own version for the CFM set that made a world of difference in the experiance (I may upload once the file library is back online). I almost forgot that I adjusted (forget off hand because I'm at work now) a setting to lower the nose when at cruise. All of the buses in this package have way too high of an AOA when at cruise, I corrected this...The bottom line is the Wilco/Feelthere Airbus packages are the best you can get for FS at this time. With the mods I mentioned here their actually quite good and stable. I'm waiting on a few promised options to come on the market but until then I'm very happy (especially if I can get those Delta liveries I asked about).... :(

Hi Les,You have my email, please send me your improvements? ;)

[Dillon 2,197]

Hey Dave I sent you the sounds a little while back (how did you like them?), I'll send you the rest this weekend. :(

[G7USL 117]

The sounds were awesomely real Les. Thanks again.

[Guest dpiedrahita]

I appreciate those fixes and if I ended up buying either version I'm certain I'd want to implement them. Any feedback on the FMGC issues? I also either saw a screenshot or read somewhere that the A330-200 EICAS and FMGC used weights from the A330-300. Can anyone validate this? I'm just trying to figure this out, because if I spend my money on this product and that's the kind of "stuff" I get, I'll pass. All I really want is that darn A330, NWA/DAL have so many flights with it and I love going to EHAM...

[Guest JoshuaSpreng]

Can anyone either post or email me the instructions for merging the PSS panel with the Project Airbus model? I thank you all in advance and think we all can agree that we are greatly anticipating the release of the Airsimmer Airbus, whenever that may be... :(

[Guest self64]

By the way (since this's a topic about the Wilco's/Feelthere Airbus family)..... Nobody has noticed (of course I'm sure someone did but nobody's speaking about it here) how wrong are the A330s visual models when it comes to engines?Both GE and RR engines are far too small in size and look too high above the ground, just look at any pic of the real thing and you'll realize how the real RR engine is 'floating' just few inches above the ground, while in the Wilco model you could almost (virtually) walk beneath it without folding your head.......Correspondingly, the diameter of Wilco engines is far smaller than the real thing, and especially on the 330-300 model one can wonder how those undersized engines can make that plane to fly......Looks just like (and likely is) as if they made the A340-300 model first, and then simply removed two engines in order to get the 330 one.........(ARGH!)That's why I'm struggling to replace the original Wilco/FT visual model with another one (I tried both CLS and Posky, both featuring correct-sized engines), obviously holding the Wilco panel, but this will in any case bring to the loss of the original VC, which is embedded into the original .mdl.Of course I'm 99% sure there's no way to change the exterior model keeping the original VC, so I won't ask about that..........I just wanted to say how I feel disappointed by a so 'childish' mistake about the visual model, unacceptable with a product showing under any other aspect a decent overall quality.