How do you like the JS41?

[hawkhero 11]

Now that it is been out out for a while, how do you like the sim? I pre-ordered the boxed version and hope to get it by Xmas!Greg

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Greg-I love it!Oh- you weren't asking me... :(

[Paul_Smith 92]

Bah! Humbug! Just getting the engines to start without setting fire to them proved to be more of a challange then I expected. This is not a systems programming excercise like flying the MD-11 as the autopilots lack of autothrottle and minimal vertical navigation means that the PF actually has to fly the thing. Don't for one minute think that this means the J41 is a simple or basic aircraft. The FMS is full featured and will take some learning, though you can fly completly without it if you prefer. Being reasonably low altitude, you will have to deal with wind, rain and icing all the time, though as this is where the weaknesses of FSX's weather engine really show up, I am seriously considering investing in REX2. Good news is that you are flying in what is head and shoulders the finest Virtual Cockpit ever seen in FSX and the airframe is an absolute joy to hand fly. Flights are typically only one or two hours long and usually involve smaller airports which in turn means you will be doing far less ILS auto approachs and more VOR, NDB and visual approachs. While it would be wrong to say you work up a sweat, you will know that you have been working and I personally know when I have flown reasonably well, and when I haven't. It is not perfect. For cost and time reasons (remember that this is from their budget range and was never designed to be full featured), PMDG had to make a number of pragmatic decisions, such as using FSX's autopilot system (which adjusts trim instead of using primary flight controls) and there is no failure engine, 2D cockpit or FS9 version. Not everyone agrees with all the descisions made but such is life. I think everyone would agree that the features PMDG have included bode very well for the future, in particular, their VC really is that good and their flight model really is that smooth. So yes, I like it. I like it a lot. Will you like it though? If you are reasonably competent with FSX. If you feel comfortable flying an advanced sim with a decent FMS. If you enjoy learning systems and procedures and following them when you fly, and you dont mind too much being punished for not doing it the 'right' way, then yes, I think you will like it very much too.

[gritz 0]

If you like realism, challenges and are a perfectionist .... you'll love it. It will require persistence, patience, and a willingness to do some reading, take notes and practice. If you become accomplished and can fly any route, in any weather with ILS .... then you'll have a "WOW" factor to impress your friends, and a reason to feel a sense of pride ..... kind of like when you get your first pilot's license. It will definitely be a feather in your cap. But if you just want to jump in and hope to fly without any knowledge of how a real plane works .... you will definitely be sorely disappointed. I spent a fair amount of time in learning how to get around in the JS4100, and for the enjoyment I get this plane comes at a bargain price ... less than a night out on the town, and it will last much longer. I have a ton of payware planes in my hanger ..... and this is the best by far. Enjoy .... you will love it.

[ega 98]

Greg,I share Robert

[rshumack 0]

Hard to put my finger on exactly how or why, but the J41 is the first FSX aircraft to feel like my real world flying. (Especially flying around FTX in Australia).If you like hand flying you'll love it!Richard Shumack

[ferrabras 0]

I hate all of default planes in FS, so I am constantly in a quest for good addons. Being a propeller fan it is hard to find good AddOns because most them are jets. I tried a lot of them but just a few fall into the recomendation list. Following my order of acquisition I would recomend (FS9/FSX) ATR72 and (FS9/FSX)Piper Cheyenne from Digital Aviation, and finally the JS4100 from PMDG. If you know any of the previous addons you can assume JS4100 is even better.As someone said before, it's not an addon you can fly after instalation. A few hints so you can have the same impression all of us had.1) Start FSX in default flight with C172 on ground with all off. Then load any JS4100 flight.2) Learn how to start up engine, special care to Stop Latches3) Practise landing: JS4100 doesn't loose speed with nose down! Slow down leveled before descending! Flap just goes down if the speed is right. In my first flights I set flap 25 but it didn't go... right before flare when speed dropped flaps went 25 and I had a loooonnng flare :( 4) In order to stop engine and don't have to activate Stop Latches you need to learn to shut it down too.5) If you like flying manually without AP this is the plane! It has such a nice smooth handling you would think it's a waste landing in any other way than manually!Things I don't like:1) Ice formation: the animation of ice formation doesn't look good when icing or melting. Also it's happening in some situations where I think it should not.2) Sound: when we start engine, the sound doesn't transition smoothly between engine states.Enjoy your flight

[hawkhero 11]

Can't wait to get it!!

[Cras 6]

I first held off on buying the JS41, mainly because I had no desire to fly a turbo prop. But after reading reviews, seeing screenshots of the VC and how beautiful it looked, I bought it a few days ago. I love it. It is such a different type of flying, that it is really nice to have as a sort of changeup to flying. My first preference is still Jetliners, but flying the JS41 around on short hops to small airports really is fun, and now I get to fly into airports I otherwise would never get to in the PMDG 744 or the Level D 763 ER.You will enjoy it. Takes some time getting used to, esp. the FMC and the lack of an autothrottle, but it really is a fun bird to fly.

[ckyliu 1,749]

To put it simply, it's an epic bit of kit!It looks great, flies great, the systems work great and it has opened up lots of airports to me I wouldn't of previously visited. Probably the best turboprop airliner for FSX, it's certainly up there with the F1 ATR in the quality stakes but it just seems much more fun to operate.If you've used sophisticated addons before, all you really need to read up on is some specifics for operating the engines and how to handle the aircraft. The FMS is really easy; it's very intuitive to use. Oh and it has the bonus of making you feel superior to all those people who seem unable to operate any aircraft without an autothrottle :-)The level of detail in the modelling and textures is beautiful, but the downside is how much it eats the frames compared to my other FSX addons, my JS41 will never get to fly in the London area as when it's used in conjunction with my addon scenery the whole system grinds to an undignified halt.

[davidzill 8]

I love it. It is an awesome turboprop to fly, and the graphics are amazing. The ONLY downside is the annoying bezel lines in the virtual cockpit. I'm hoping there will be a fix for it though.

[theteeboy 0]

Absolutely fabulous add-on. The VC alone is worth the money, as said above its fantastic (unfortunately it now makes most of my other add-ons look second rate) but the frame rate hit is pretty harsh if you dont run a fast machine. Handling is much more 'real' than some other offerings and very smooth in responding to controls, especially if you have throttles and a wheel (why wouldnt you with something like this?). The systems are very good too, even if the fmc lacks some features of more advanced jets. It gives you something to think about - not the case with an Airbus or most Boeings now.I also love the small airport style of operations too. Big airports and payware scenery kill my PC. Flying this means I get to have very well detailled scenery with good frame rates - cant commend UK2000 enough if you fly in the UK.My only criticism would be the exteriors - I've just bought some Mcphat liveries for a competitors regional jet and they are the dogs.. (I am one of those people who just likes looking at landings and takeoffs too).

[ahaka 0]

J41 is a perfect example of how far PMDG has come from the release of 737NG for FS9. A true masterpiece with practically every part of the aircraft simulated. Hand flying is a joy, and with this aircraft you can do lots of hand flying, as the autopilot/fms is not as advanced as in bigger jets, though the plane still flies beautifully with the autopilot as well. The VC is so realistic that you can almost forget you're sitting at your home desktop. ;)Only thing I miss is a 2D overhead panel for multi-monitor setups (opening a second VC window is too hard on frames).

[iainsmith 9]

It's good for all the reasons that have been mentioned but it is a frame rate killer! OK so my rig is not cutting edge (Gigabyte GA-EP31-DS3L m/b with Intel Core2Duo E7400 @ 2.8GHz/4GB DDR2 RAM/Geforce 9600GT 512Mb) and the JS41 is the only FSX add-on that I have (I fly FS9 mostly) but compared with any FSX default a/craft in any situation I get less than half the frame rate, sometimes one third, into single figures where it is starting to be a slide show. Going to the lower res VC makes no difference.I'm certainly hoping that the 737NG2, if it is only for FSX, is better in this respect. If it is also for FS9 even better as I'd have no problem then. Maybe the addition of a 2D panel might have helped?So I'm in awe of the look of it, the detail both externally and in the VC, the nice little touches like the heads of the flight deck crew moving about, etc but I am seriously disappointed in the performance. I upgraded my PC earlier this year so I'm not doing another for a while! :( Iain Smith

[vivek 0]

i have all the pmdg products till date,and the best part of being a loyal customer is that each new aircraft seems to be better than the older one ,i just could not resist the 747,when md-11 came along i found 747 a little outdated ,and with the arrival of j 41 i have two aircrafts for the longer and shorter routes,it must be the next best thing to flying the actual j41, cant wait for 737ng nowvivek