They are expensive for sure, but they are also real life B737 manuals. I believe the cost of buying them from PMDG is at least 3 times cheaper than what airlines has to pay for them

Why should I buy the manuals before the sim is out? I think must of us know how to fly the 737 from FS9, so why do we need this dedicated manuals? Invented PMDG the way of flying the 737 completely new? Certainly not, cause than it won´t be a 737.And on the other hand it´s only a simulation, so if you do something wrong, it doesn´t matter, it won´t kill you.I´m personally bored of reading the whole manual before flying. So after buying the plane, I shortly read through the given manuals and then fire up the sim and then comes the tutorial flight, where mostly all important features are mentioned and If I don´t know everything to the point, then I can make "try and erreor". So I do mostly not need some detailed manuals. But If some of us here is willing enough to spent this really huge amount of money, I wont blame him. It´s the decission of everyone, wheather such manuals are uesfull for himselfe or not.

Don't forget that Angle of Attack are working on a series of 737NG training videos as well, so there will definitely be other venues for learning to fly what I'm sure will be the ultimate airliner simulation. Honestly though, if I were a die-hard airliner pilot and wanted to dig deeply into how this bird worked, I'd have no problem coughing up the $300+. It's still a great entertainment value compared to the pub, eating out, or going to the movies.

Upon seeing the announcement that PMDG is offering manuals, operating guides, etc. in advance of it's release of it's 737 NGX (which I had long since given up ever seeing released) I clicked on the link and nearly had a heart attack! What PMDG is charging JUST for the manuals gives sticker shock a whole new meaning!Anyone who would spend $70 on a Quick Check guide, much less $330 for the complete Chief Pilot's Manual set HAS GOTTA BE COMPLETELY OFF THEIR ROCKER! Given the prices for just the manuals, one is going to have to take out a mortgage on their home or sell their first born to afford the plane itself!Given the state of the economy, what on earth could PMDG possibly be thinking?! I've got to wonder, too, if anything less than a Super Computer will be capable of running the new NGX aircraft if it requires manuals and training aids this expensive to learn to fly...Anyway, just my two cents on the subject, for what it's worth...

I am not sure if this is your attempt to actually get PMDG to lower the prices but I can tell you that won't work. Many people have purchased the manuals and I haven't read anyone complain about the quality or quantity of information. I fly the real NG so I have manuals scattered all over. If I didn't though and I REALLY wanted to know how to fly the NG I would definitely contemplate on buying them. I tell you what. Call Boeing and see how much they charge you for the manuals. If I lost my FOM the company would charge me 85 bucks JUST for the FOM which is photocopied! And heck, I am an employee. So just check around and see how much these manuals would cost youy elsewhere. Hey a Bugatti Veyron is about 1.7 million. Is that outrageous? Yep but I am not on forums complaining about it. I just don't buy one!

To contextualize the perceived value/ expense of the manuals one might look to the real world, ordering manuals is something designers of Aircraft Addons do regularly and they can be expensive, as one of the pre eminent development houses PMDG have managed to make this aspect of simming as real as it gets.

Or....go look at the price of a book for your average college course. The new NGX manuals are very nice. If you can afford the 300 bucks, go for it. Personally, I will be eagerly waiting for the NGX startup youtube videos.

That some accept the price, and some do not is fine. Different people, different budgets, and different needs.Hurling insults at people for choosing to purchase something is just uncalled for. Also, PMDG has released every product they announced (to my knowledge), so to cast doubt on them and their ability to deliver the 737ngx is confusing to me.P.S. I will not purchase them as I believe they are "Too expensive" for my taste and needs, not necessarily my wallet.

In three or four years you might be able to pick the NG up for $29...next to the 747 at Best Buy and Fry's.

I commend anyone that orders the 3300 pages and finishes reading it from front to back. The world need more of those type of people not less.

What I meant was, chances are the PDFs will be protected in such a way that you cannot print them.

I know what you meant :(. . If I need hardcopies of a document I can unlock the file.

Are you serious?? :(

I surely am David. That's how I got my MD-80 manuals. And the company I was with before let me keep my Dash 8 manuals as well.Finding aircraft manuals is really not that hard if you know where to look. Company SOP's on the other hand are a bit harder to get.

I know what you meant :(. . If I need hardcopies of a document I can unlock the file.

I see. That would most likely be in violation of the EULA, though.Let's see how it ends - locking the PDFs for printing was only mentioned as a possibility, not a certainty.

You can also expect a significant license fee for Boeing to be included in the price.I would be for sure one of those people that are "off their rocker" if it weren't for the fact that I'm lucky enough to have a copy of the real QRH and FCOM (both volumes) of the NG (one of the advantages of working at the "right" department at a large NG operator :( )

Let's see how it ends - locking the PDFs for printing was only mentioned as a possibility, not a certainty.

Won't be long now until we find out and hopefully they won't be locked. Regardless I am not forking out £200+ for printed manuals if the only manual that comes with the product is a locked PDF and in that case I will be unlocking the file and printing sections of it out for my own personal use. I don't want to be sat staring at a screen to read information that I would be more comfortable reading from a page away from the computer.

Couple points of clarification from us here:1. These are not "almost replicas" of the real life manuals pilots get - they ARE the real life manuals with PMDG branding and warnings against use for real-life flight operations. That's it, you're buying exactly what you'd get if you were a pilot going to training on the actual airplane.2. As for why you would purchase these before the NGX is actually out - doing so is actually a realistic "simulation" if you will of what happens when you get a bid to move to a new aircraft at an airline. You are sent the training materials to study several months before you go to the actual training classes and fly the sim etc.3. As others have pointed out, no one is forcing you to buy these manuals - the NGX will come with pdf manuals. We're well aware that this is a premium product for people who want to be as completely realistic as they can be.4. The pricing on the manuals has nothing at all to do with how the NGX itself will be priced. Printed materials cost a ton of money to make.

Upon seeing the announcement that PMDG is offering manuals, operating guides, etc. in advance of it's release of it's 737 NGX (which I had long since given up ever seeing released) I clicked on the link and nearly had a heart attack! What PMDG is charging JUST for the manuals gives sticker shock a whole new meaning!Anyone who would spend $70 on a Quick Check guide, much less $330 for the complete Chief Pilot's Manual set HAS GOTTA BE COMPLETELY OFF THEIR ROCKER! Given the prices for just the manuals, one is going to have to take out a mortgage on their home or sell their first born to afford the plane itself!Given the state of the economy, what on earth could PMDG possibly be thinking?! I've got to wonder, too, if anything less than a Super Computer will be capable of running the new NGX aircraft if it requires manuals and training aids this expensive to learn to fly...Anyway, just my two cents on the subject, for what it's worth...

Sorry there Captain but you haven't a clue of what you're talking about.Ron Hamilton