Hi, I'm thinking of getting this aircraft, what are the general thoughts around here? I think it looks OK, but I understand it is still buggy?

Buggy ??!!!I couldn

I'd strongly suggest you visit the support forum on the SSW site regularly to see how support is being handled.Martijn

Be VERY CAREFUL buying this bird. I purchased it the day it came out. It may turn out to be a great plane, but at this point to even call it "flyable" is an overstatement. The biggest problem is the almost total lack of support feedback. The SSW folks go so long between feedback posts on their forum that I actually begin to wonder sometimes if they are still in business. The next patch is due out "sometime" (I say it this way because they have yet to come close to releasing anything when they say they will). I'm still hoping they get it right because the aircraft has incredible potential.Just my opinions.George Stoddard

>I'd strongly suggest you visit the support forum on the SSW>site regularly to see how support is being handled.You mean..."How support is NOT being handled" ;-) This is indeed a very sad story. Mainly because they gladly got the cash immediately, but didn

These days, modern (i.e. FMC equipped/Fly by Wire etc.) airliner simulations have become so complex that it has proven almost impossible to get it even nearly right the first time. Almost all recent airliner products had very serious flaws on release day. The deep complexity of these systems makes this almost unavoidable, apparently.So support has become a crucial factor, and the way support is being handled by the developers should be the main concern for prospective buyers. They would do well to check the availability of a decent support forum, the promptness and tone of answers to support questions there(regardless of 'language issues') as well as the continued commitment of the developers to the product itself. Fortunately, most developers are doing quite well. I'm impressed with the level of support and commitment that most of them are providing.But, so far, although (or is it just because...) I did keep an eye on developments, I've avoided this particular product. Martijn

These days, modern (i.e. FMC equipped/Fly by Wire etc.) airliner simulations have become so complex that it has proven almost impossible to get it even nearly right the first timeYou are 100% right, but just look at PMDG-they released a pretty bad product on initial release, then they patched it twice so far and the aircraft handles really well-add to that their geat support...SSW did neither of the above and I cant see their future products selling well based on the reputation they've made.JohnP 2.53 GHZ512 RAMWINXPGFORCE 4 128MB Ti4600http://homepage.eircom.net/~eamonnmca/images/logo_ba.JPGwww.bavirtual.co.uk Senior Captain Simflight.com Staff Reviewerhttp://vatsim.pilotmedia.fi/statusindicato...tor=OD1&a=a.jpg

You could do search on this forum. There have been a few comments.As the others have said there are quite a few bugs but hopefully version 1.3. will sort them.Visually, the panels and aircraft are very impressive and the operation of the aircraft (overhead etc.) is quite comprehensive.RegardsHoward

You could do search on this forum. There have been a few comments.As the others have said there are quite a few bugs but hopefully version 1.3. will sort them.Visually, the panels and aircraft are very impressive and the operation of the aircraft (overhead etc.) is quite comprehensive.RegardsHoward

Yep-And that's exactly what I'm on about. They were both released at about the same time-and in a similar state, but after watching developments with both products for a while, I saw how PMDG were improving and purchased their 737NG eventually. I'm not regretting it.They are building up a nice community that's working in a positive way to improve the simulation not unlike the 767 PIC team did.Martijn

I want to add my $.02 here.Like many folks I purchased the A310 on day one, and have followed its evolution very carefully.1. if you want a very realistic, lots of systems simulated, failures, etc. 2. if you want a very nice model ... nice to look at3. if you want reasonable supportThen you should give the A310 a try. As noted above in this thread, this is an exceedingly complex simulation, close to the PIC 767 and perhaps even to the PS1.3. It's not perfect, certainly, but through the two patches, things have steadily improved.I believe there is a VERY VERY VOCAL, extremely negative minority who like to bash the A310 .. and this is quite sad.One of the major issues, I believe, is that the developers are silent much of the time. They are listening, I am sure, but I can certainly tell that there are major language barriers .. but can definitely say that these guys get an A+++ for effort at communicating in English, and certainly are 1000% better than my trying to communicate in Russian. I congratulate them for their efforts.The attempt to support FS2002 and FS9 at the same time, as well as trying to build in reasonable "anti-intellectual property theft" mechanism into their product, added to the inate complexity ... is really quite an effort and I beliefe SSW has done very well.I seriously think they deserve our support and understanding. Although they do not appear as supportive as PSS and PMDG, it is clear that they are working on fixes, and that we just need to be a bit patient. For myself, I have had a number of successful flights in FS2002 with the A310, and it requires considerable study and effort to understand all the complexity and built in features. I am sure it will only get better, and I believe deserves people's support. There are not many developers committed to producing complex software with failures and systems modeling ... and I sincerely believe these guys are skilled and in the business for the long term.Sorry to be so WORDY here ... but I thought it would be a good thing to offer some support to these people.

Well, like I've acknowledged before, I'm now part of the minority group that monitors the forums and waits before purchasing. I did that with both the PMDG and the SSW.....I have since purchased the PMDG bird, but because of the overwhelming negative posts about SSW, I have stayed away. You are the first person I've seen that has something good/positive to say about them, and I must thank you for offering a contrasting point of view here.But I think I'll wait for a couple more months to see what happens with them if its all the same.

Thank you for the replies folks. I had been watching the development of this bird from quite early on in its life, but I have been busy since it release. Thanks Paul for your thoughts on this product. I think i'll havng on until the next patch is released before i purchase, but the aircraft does seem really good.Once again thanks folks for your thoughts on this product