Best Airbus payware at the moment ? (FSX)

[korn101 0]

Hi there, I know I might get flak for starting this topic which I've seen many responses to ones like it; but most were old (the latest being an entire year) I'm not an airbus guy - I don't want to sound like one of those airbus vs boeing 'racists' but I really love Boeing because that's what my dad loves; being a retired SAA 747 captain; which the fleet comprised of mostly Boeing's but some airbuses too for good measure. Now I want to try and see what the whole hub around Airbus is all about and seeing as the airline I want to work for in the future has almost an ENTIRE airbus fleet; I wanted to have a peak look at the systems and what makes the airbus tick and just have a good time! tldr;Is there any current Payware addon Airbus available to FSX which is somewhat PMDG level ? Thanks and I look forward to responses :)

[ubersu 78]

Hi there, I know I might get flak for starting this topic which I've seen many responses to ones like it; but most were old (the latest being an entire year) I'm not an airbus guy - I don't want to sound like one of those airbus vs boeing 'racists' but I really love Boeing because that's what my dad loves; being a retired SAA 747 captain; which the fleet comprised of mostly Boeing's but some airbuses too for good measure. Now I want to try and see what the whole hub around Airbus is all about and seeing as the airline I want to work for in the future has almost an ENTIRE airbus fleet; I wanted to have a peak look at the systems and what makes the airbus tick and just have a good time! tldr;Is there any current Payware addon Airbus available to FSX which is somewhat PMDG level ? Thanks and I look forward to responses :)

No, there isn't. Not even close. The folks who did the Concorde X are working on one; release date unknown. DJ

[Chock 17,769]

Yes, if you are prepared to widen your remit somewhat, then there most certainly is an Airbus that is up to PMDG's standards, and that is the SimCheck A300-B4 (reviewed by me for Avsim some time ago if you care to look in the Avsim reviews section). This is a truly great simulation of the aeroplane (apparently it took four years to develop it, and it shows in the quality of its systems simulation), but it is not an FBW Airbus, nor does it have the familiar sidestick controllers and glass PFDs, but it does have a flight mode computer as per the real aircraft that is a good simulation of how the real one works, and it uses an older INS navigation system as opposed to an FMC (there is an excellent PDF tutorial flight for how to use these systems which comes with it as one of the manuals, so although fairly complex, it is easy to learn and rewarding when you do so). The A300 was optimised for both short and long range flights and was both a passenger and a cargo aircraft, so this is in fact a very versatile aircraft to have in your virtual hangar. As you probably know, the FBW Airbus hopes of all flight simmers are riding on FSL's A320 which is currently in development, and I think they'll successfully pull that one off personally, but we will have to wait and see. In the meantime, I would suggest that your best bet for a FBW Airbus is the Wilco one, although I would recommend getting it without the evolution upgrade, as it is quite frankly, better (and cheaper) without it. It is by no means perfect, but it does give you reasonably authentic taste of how a FBW Airbus is operated that will not disappoint you in most respects. If you just want a fairly okay visual model that has a basic stab at FBW limits, the CSL ones are worth a look. If you want a pure eye candy one that eschews the systems, then there is also the Aerosoft A320, but it is pricey and is more of an eye candy simulation. For cheap and cheerful, there is also the Just Flight Airbuses based around the A320 family, which don't fly that well to be honest (tricky to land), but they look okay and are inexpensive. Al

[korn101 0]

Yes, if you are prepared to widen your remit somewhat, then there most certainly is an Airbus that is up to PMDG's standards, and that is the SimCheck A300-B4 (reviewed by me for Avsim some time ago if you care to look in the Avsim reviews section). This is a truly great simulation of the aeroplane (apparently it took four years to develop it, and it shows in the quality of its systems simulation), but it is not an FBW Airbus, nor does it have the familiar sidestick controllers and glass PFDs, but it does have a flight mode computer as per the real aircraft that is a good simulation of how the real one works, and it uses an older INS navigation system as opposed to an FMC (there is an excellent PDF tutorial flight for how to use these systems which comes with it as one of the manuals, so although fairly complex, it is easy to learn and rewarding when you do so). The A300 was optimised for both short and long range flights and was both a passenger and a cargo aircraft, so this is in fact a very versatile aircraft to have in your virtual hangar. As you probably know, the FBW Airbus hopes of all flight simmers are riding on FSL's A320 which is currently in development, and I think they'll successfully pull that one off personally, but we will have to wait and see. In the meantime, I would suggest that your best bet for a FBW Airbus is the Wilco one, although I would recommend getting it without the evolution upgrade, as it is quite frankly, better (and cheaper) without it. It is by no means perfect, but it does give you reasonably authentic taste of how a FBW Airbus is operated that will not disappoint you in most respects. If you just want a fairly okay visual model that has a basic stab at FBW limits, the CSL ones are worth a look. If you want a pure eye candy one that eschews the systems, then there is also the Aerosoft A320, but it is pricey and is more of an eye candy simulation. For cheap and cheerful, there is also the Just Flight Airbuses based around the A320 family, which don't fly that well to be honest (tricky to land), but they look okay and are inexpensive. Al

That's awesome thanks for the reply! The only Airbus my father flew throughout his 39 years of Airlines was the A300 xD so that's just perfect! Thanks a lot.

[ErichB 3,637]

That's awesome thanks for the reply! The only Airbus my father flew throughout his 39 years of Airlines was the A300 xD so that's just perfect! Thanks a lot.

Hi Korn Your dad probably would then be very familiar with the the SAA A300B's Gemsbok, Rooibok and Waterbok.:-) . I used to work at FACT and did my PPL there as well. I saw those A300's all day shuttling between Cape Town and Joburg.

[aidanlegras 7]

Korn 101,I am a bit of a novice modern PC/Mac simulation. I am a an Airbus A320 Captain and I would like something to practice ECAM and other abnormal operations on at home. I don't need any eye candy at all but would appreciate sufficient visuals to effect a safe landing, some years ago I used Aerowinx PS744 and found that excellent for the sort of thing that I am after, is there any equivalent for the A320 family.I use a MAC but can look at PC software if necessary.You mentioned the "Wilco one" and I dug up a bit of info on this, and it appears to be very much an "eye candy" sim. I am not aware if this is an add on program or what, can you help me please? Cheers Ultimate Airbus Multi-Crew Simulation for your Wilco/feelThere AIRBUS SERIES.File size : 109 MBDownload manual here.Models FS2Crew works with:A319 CFM - A319 CJ - A319 IAE - A320 CFM - A320 IAE - A321 CFM - A321 IAE - A333 RR - A343 CFM - A346 RRHighlights :

• Real Airbus SOPs and checklists in a multi-crew environment!
• You are the Captain and Pilot Flying (PF). The FO will perform his flows and make calls just like he would in real life. He'll even fill out a very realistic Takeoff Data Card and hand it to you!
• The most realistic Airbus experience ever! A must have for serious Airbus pilots!
• Designed in close consultation with a real-world Airbus pilot to ensure maximum fidelity to actual Airbus procedures!
• Interact with your First Officer, the FA and the ground crew including Company ops.
• Experience FS2Crew's brand-new graphical user interface system.
• Tackle new situations: Air Rage, Bird Strikes and even Passengers smoking in the Lavatory!
• Voices recorded by real-world flight and cabin crew.
• Comprehensive manual will get you up and running in no time!
• Make custom PA announcements to your passengers using a list of over 70 pre-recorded world cities.
• New systems added to the FeelThere Airbus Series: Enhanced Audio Control Panel (ACP) and oxygen test panel.
• Realistic pushback/start crew with an international, region-specific accent set: American English, UK, French, Spanish and German.
• Listen to FA Cabin announcements recorded right out of a real airliner!

New FS2Crew engineering technology allows you to interface with the simulation using your joystick, your mouse or your keyboard!Fly your Airbus like a Professional with FS2Crew!

[Chock 17,769]

The 'Wilco one' can be found at the link here (and other places online, where it may possibly sell for less money, for example, I pad a tenner for both volumes in a sale at PC aviator's website a while ago): http://www.wilcopub....tor-add-on.html As you can see from that link, it is a series of add on simulated Airbus aeroplanes for MSFlight Simulator that will work in either the FS9 or FSX versions. There are a few products but the gist of it is this, there are two volumes, one volume has half the Airbus family, the other volume has the remaining models, so you might have to get both to cover all the aircraft you are interested in. Both volumes also have an 'Evolution Upgrade' available for them, which you can add to the standard volume editions to upgrade them, alternatively, you can buy them with the Evolution Upgrade already as part of the package. If you click on one of those product info pages, it will tell you exactly what and what is not simulated in detail. The Evolution upgrade came in for a bit of criticism, since it really failed to upgrade many aspects of the simulation's deeper functions that are found on the real Airbus, and some of the features it does add are not quite as good as the wording on that site makes them sound, but, it's up to you to decide if you think they are worth it, although personally, I would get the standard version and see if you are happy with that, and if not, then perhaps consider the Evolution Upgrade if you think it will add what you want (such as a HUD), which would give you more flexibility. On top of these products, you can also buy FS2Crew products (search google and you'll find them), which are additional programs that work in concert with specific Flight Simulator add on aircraft in order to simulate crew operations (basically they add an artificial intelligence flight crew to the aircraft to help you do checklists). There are usually two versions of FS2Crew products, a version for voice control where you actually use a microphone on your PC to 'talk' to the crew, or a version which uses purely mouse clicks on a pop up panel up at the top of the computer screen. Otherwise they are functionally identical. Generally speaking, they are extremely realistic and follow real world procedures properly although more recent versions are a lot better than the somewhat older products as these too are a series of products which have evolved considerably over the years. The Wilco Airbuses have come in for a fair bit of criticism from flight simmers who crave realism, since they do not simulate all the ECAM pages and functions you get with the real aircraft, however, I actually did the print artwork for the real Airbus Standard Operating Procedure manuals for several airlines, and so I'm fairly familiar with the procedures in those manuals and how an Airbus is flown in spite of only being a GA pilot in real life, and personally, I don't think the Wilco Airbuses are as bad as many would have you believe. It is true that you can't do everything that a real Airbus has you do when operating it, and because that is so there will be procedures in your airline's SOPs that you may not be able to simulate fully, but, having said that, you could still use the SOP manuals and put up with the fact that the odd bit here or there will have to be skipped as you use the simulated aircraft for study in concert with those SOPs, thus it would still therefore be a useful training aid so long as you are prepared to accept that it is not a Level D standard simulator, which it could never be for such a low price. Thus it may not simulate the exact features found on your particular airline's equipment specification, since there is a fair bit of variety in Airbus cockpits in terms of system options as you probably know. It is nonetheless your best option, because all the other Airbus simulations out there are either unstable or simplified too much. All that will likely change when Flight Sim Labs (another flight sim add on development company) release their simulated A320, as that is likely to be an extremely good and more complete simulation of the A320. But it will probably not be available for a while, certainly at least a few months and probably longer than that, so it is one to keep an eye on rather than something you could consider as an option right now. There are of course more professional (and expensive) study aids out there for Airbus crew training, see here for example: http://www.redtriangle.com/ but as far as using FS is concerned, the above is about where you are at. Hope that helps a bit. Al

[aidanlegras 7]

Hi Chock, That's of great help, thanks. It sounds a bit inadequate for non-normal practice but could assist in cyclic preparation to some degree anyway. Many arlines allow the crew to do some fixed base sim time but not mine so any assistance is of benefit. Be interesting to see if the Flight Sim Labs A320 is of any use for non-normals. Plenty of guys from my airline would love a bit more exposure to some of the more dramatic non normals such as emerg. electrical config. and dual hydraulic faults, might be a bit too much to ask at this stage. For the price as you say, it might be good value. Thanks again for your help and for keeping the PC jargon to a minimum, it does all get a bit much sometimes. Cheers, Aidan iMac 20" 2.66 dual core Windows 7 home premium edition 64 bit. MS FSX

[Chock 17,769]

I think what we have to keep in mind with FS add-on aeroplanes and scenery etc, is that they were never intended to be professional training aids, the fact that some of them are good enough (or partially good enough) to be used for that purpose is really something that should be regarded as a bonus, so long as one is aware that it is important to actually know the real thing well if you are going to indulge in using them as training aids, since if not, you might learn a procedure incorrectly if basing your practice on them alone, as they very likely will include differences, inaccuracies or even things that are just plain wrong compared to the real aircraft. In any case, twenty or thirty quid or whatever one pays for an FS add-on aeroplane is not bad for something that could potentially be useful as a training aid to some degree, since it is far cheaper than most other options and considerably more convenient as well. Al

[Christopher Low 5,324]

I'm not interested in complex systems modelling, since I hand fly all of my planes. However, I would have to say that I am very impressed with the Project Airbus A318 as far as 3D model, textures, animations, and flight model are concerned. It flies beautifully in FSX. I use the Just Flight A318 VC with it (since that package cost me £5, and the VC looks a lot better than the default A321 version), and also the excellent Turbine Studios CFM-56 sound package.

[korn101 0]

If there's anyone still interested in this topic :) I think I've found the answer in the Aerosoft Airbus X Check the review here: http://mutleyshangar.com/reviews/jack/airx/airbusx.htm After watching a video of the VC, i'm fully convinced it has to be the best payware airbus I've seen. Looks AMAZING!

[Sawyer 0]

Looks AMAZING!

And that's about it.

[Tim_Capps 474]

If you haven't checked the Airbus X support forum lately, there is a mod to the Fly By Wire available that solves the handling problems (although it requires a registered version of FSUIPC currently). Still, it lacks support for SIDs and STARs and is otherwise dumbed down. I use it instead of the Wilco airbus, though. There are lots of liveries available, too. If you are not looking for a hard core Airbus simulation, then you might want to check it out, but it does not get an unqualfied recommendation from me. It does look very nice!

[Benjamin J 751]

There his an update to FBW system? In that case I might reinstall it, since that's what has always bothered me with the Aerosoft Airbus. I really liked it and I would have reinstalled it, if not for the FBW that tended to go completely bonkers on my setup.

[duckbilled 310]

There his an update to FBW system? In that case I might reinstall it, since that's what has always bothered me with the Aerosoft Airbus. I really liked it and I would have reinstalled it, if not for the FBW that tended to go completely bonkers on my setup.

The FBW fix is a user created fix. The have also released a couple small updates.