I need some help deciding on a short to medium range jet for FSX. I use Air Hauler and now need a jet to fly up and down the left coast. I prefer the classic jets witout the FMC/FMS stuff and on my mid-perfprmance rig the analogue guages run better than glass. I don't want a simple portover and so I kinda trimmed it down to these two planes. I would have considered the Captain Sim 727 but feel it is just too pricey for all the variants. I have reviews of the Super 80 Classic so I kinda know what to expect from that unit but I can't get any review of the Sky Simulation DC9 package which really looks good from the screenshots and is a newer product so it may run better. They are about the same price but I am hesitant to buy an aircraft without any input from reviewers. I would really like to hear from someone who has the product. I also cannot find any support forum for the Sky Sim model and I have many Flight 1 products and never had an issue with any of their products. So if anyone has thoughts I would love to hear from you. Many thanks,Chuck H

SS DC-9 is great in Air Hauler. I use it a lot for that. Performance is good even on a fairly mediocre PC set up too.What is particularly nice about it with regard to Air Hauler is that you get several DC-9 variants in the package, all with pretty good cargo capacity and range, which means you have quite a bit of choice when it comes to buying or leasing something to suit your preferred flight distance - I tend to use it on European flights between Manchester and Spain, which it is more than adequate for. It can get in and out of short runways too, so that's another plus for Air Hauler. I have the Flight 1 MD-80 too, but for AH I prefer the SS DC-9 since it's very much a 'jump in and go aircraft' by virtue of the fact that there is no FMC.I don't think you'll be disappointed with the SS DC-9 if AH is the main thing you want it for. Personally I think it is one of the stand out FS add-on releases this year.Al

SS DC-9 is great in Air Hauler. I use it a lot for that. Performance is good even on a fairly mediocre PC set up too.What is particularly nice about it with regard to Air Hauler is that you get several DC-9 variants in the package, all with pretty good cargo capacity and range, which means you have quite a bit of choice when it comes to buying or leasing something to suit your preferred flight distance - I tend to use it on European flights between Manchester and Spain, which it is more than adequate for. It can get in and out of short runways too, so that's another plus for Air Hauler. I have the Flight 1 MD-80 too, but for AH I prefer the SS DC-9 since it's very much a 'jump in and go aircraft' by virtue of the fact that there is no FMC.I don't think you'll be disappointed with the SS DC-9 if AH is the main thing you want it for. Personally I think it is one of the stand out FS add-on releases this year.Al

Thanks for the response Al. As a follow up, do you have the glass panel MD-80 or the steam guage version? I was thinking of the Super 80 Classic which has the steam guages. I use the Dreamfleet 727 in FS9 and that is my all time favorite so I am quite comfortable with VOR to Vor navigation but I do like the complexity of all the systems modelling in the 727. This seems to be how the CoolSky is described but I don't have that info for the Sky Sim model. One thing you pointed out that I wasn't aware of is the number of variations on the Cool Sky model. I take it that it is only one variant correct? The number of variants on the Sky Sim did have me salivating. That is why I am not interested in the Capt Sim 3-holer. Even on sale it would cost over $72. for the 100,200 and freighter versions. One last query if I may sir? How do you compare the graphics quality of the two models? I like the way the Sky Sim sounds so farand that may be the way to go if it is about equal to the Cool Sky. Thank You again for your response. Chuck H

I have the Classic 80, but not the DC9, so I can't make a direct comparison. I don't think you could go wrong with either one, by the sound of things, but I don't think the Classic 80 has a freight version, so it might not be a good match for Air Hauler.

As an aside, what is the performance of the Flight1 MD-80 on FSX? I'd like to fly it in SAS or Alitalia livery, but before I buy, I want to know if it will run well. As a comparison, default aircraft, from within the VC, at fair weather, return between 15 and 20 FPS, and outside usually around 25FPS.

My framerates for the Flight 1 80' are as good as any default airplane in FSX..one of the reasons I fly it so much in FSX.. :)Larry

As an aside, what is the performance of the Flight1 MD-80 on FSX? I'd like to fly it in SAS or Alitalia livery, but before I buy, I want to know if it will run well. As a comparison, default aircraft, from within the VC, at fair weather, return between 15 and 20 FPS, and outside usually around 25FPS.

You may need to crank down the amount of AI traffic on the settings slider to zero, to stop it from CTD after about an hour's flight. But who needs loads of GAs at 28000ft ?

Flight 1 Coolsky's 80s have some of the best frame rates available. That is one of the big selling points of the product.

Really? That sounds good to me! I might buy it in the end, although I've never been a fan of McDonell Douglas. It's just such a classic aircraft, and I love T-tails.

are there any private jet liveries for the super 80?

I need some help deciding on a short to medium range jet for FSX. I use Air Hauler and now need a jet to fly up and down the left coast. I prefer the classic jets witout the FMC/FMS stuff and on my mid-perfprmance rig the analogue guages run better than glass. I don't want a simple portover and so I kinda trimmed it down to these two planes. I would have considered the Captain Sim 727 but feel it is just too pricey for all the variants. I have reviews of the Super 80 Classic so I kinda know what to expect from that unit but I can't get any review of the Sky Simulation DC9 package which really looks good from the screenshots and is a newer product so it may run better. They are about the same price but I am hesitant to buy an aircraft without any input from reviewers. I would really like to hear from someone who has the product. I also cannot find any support forum for the Sky Sim model and I have many Flight 1 products and never had an issue with any of their products. So if anyone has thoughts I would love to hear from you. Many thanks,Chuck H

I too have the Super80 Classic version and its great to fly and very easy on the frames. THe best thing about it is that you can more or less fly her into tons of airports. The training is also very good and it also has automatic aircraft configuration if you are in a hurry. The FPS on my system is as good as any of the default aircraft. You wouldnt be dissapointed with it.

I have both the Flight 1 80's, ditto what others have posted, they are 2 of the best and you can't beat F1 for service.

Hey Guys Thanks a lot for your input. I feel confident either one will be very good. I am leaning to the Sky Sim models becasue they offer the whole line of DC9 vs. just the 9-51 of the CoolSky model. Either way I will have a nice addition to my Air Hauler fleet :( Chuck H

CoolSky Super 80

I too have the Super80 Classic version and its great to fly and very easy on the frames. THe best thing about it is that you can more or less fly her into tons of airports. The training is also very good and it also has automatic aircraft configuration if you are in a hurry. The FPS on my system is as good as any of the default aircraft. You wouldnt be dissapointed with it.

I love the way it trains you. Such a cool idea yet no other developers seem to have caught on. Totally interactive. I don't think I can fly the plane without it showing me what to do. LOL