June 29, 201213 yr I'm looking for payware recommendations for aircraft for long flights, say London to Sydney that are not the 747. It must be close to the real thing aka all the systems and procedures required to fly the real bird are the same for the simulated bird. I'd also like to know of any problems with the recommendations such as installation problems/errors, problems using the product, and responsiveness and efficacy of the product support team. Chris Magnus HR Manager Air Jamaica Virtual Airlines and Cargo (http://www.airjamaicavirtualairlinesandcargo.org)
June 29, 201213 yr I guess, for those very LR flights, you would have to check the 777 renditions coming up or being in the test stage. On shorter routes, some 767 rendition or the MD-11 may float your boat. No nice A340 or A380 available, so the Boeing planes are the ones to go. Are they really flying London-Sydney non-stop on a regular basis by the way? And with some payload? Newark-Sydney seems to be a regular on the longest non-stop runs, being some 1000nm shorter. A340-500.
June 29, 201213 yr Can't wait for the 777 eh? :) Have you looked into the MD-11 from PMDG? People speak very highly of it. The only downside I know of is no voice enabled FS2Crew, but you can use multi crew experience for that.
June 29, 201213 yr Go the MD11, full realism, all systems simulated, nice challenge to master. I use it with voice MCE control and love it!! There are lots of videos on you tube. Will Reynolds Flight Sim Addict
June 29, 201213 yr Author I don't mind Boeing's, I'd just rather fly something other than the ubiquitous 747. However, if there is a REALLY nice 747 out there, I would consider it, Chris Magnus HR Manager Air Jamaica Virtual Airlines and Cargo (http://www.airjamaicavirtualairlinesandcargo.org)
June 29, 201213 yr I don't mind Boeing's, I'd just rather fly something other than the ubiquitous 747. However, if there is a REALLY nice 747 out there, I would consider it, PMDG...
June 29, 201213 yr I think the PMDG 747 deserves its fans, but it will present itself with a rather old tech on the optics and, first of all, operation of knobs and switches in the VC. The MD-11 may be the better choice. She still comes in very nicely. I'd say that the MD-11 plus Multi Crew Experience (MCE) make a nice team. And the 767 variants around are worth a look too. Any 777 there is hasn't reached 1.0 yet.
June 29, 201213 yr Go the MD11, full realism, all systems simulated, nice challenge to master. I use it with voice MCE control and love it!! There are lots of videos on you tube. Sorry for the double post! Will Reynolds Flight Sim Addict
June 29, 201213 yr Also the PMDG 747 is being remade with similar tech to the NGX, so if it's Boeing you want, best to wait. Otherwise the other choices..
June 29, 201213 yr I think the PMDG 747 deserves its fans, but it will present itself with a rather old tech on the optics and, first of all, operation of knobs and switches in the VC Agree with CoolIP on this one. The 747 model is fine, but the visuals and controls leave a lot to be desired. I have to admit I didn't buy the upgrade to the "required" model , so I can't speak for any enhancements made since. I did a few long trips in it, but a little frustrated with controls and such, went right back to the 737 and the shorter hauls. I will buy the MD-11 very soon, and have to say it's not money holding me back, but the sheer anticipation of another great craft from the makers of the NGX. I look at their screen-shots of the 11 almost daily and don't want to be disappointed when I finally cave in.
June 29, 201213 yr MD-11 from PMDG is probably the most realistic alternative, but it doesn't have the range for a flight from London to Sydney without at least one stop, since even in a pretty much direct line it is over 10,500 miles from London to Sydney. The extended range variant of the MD-11 can just about make it 7,000 miles, less with a big payload, so it's definitely going to mean a stop in Singapore or somewhere like that for a UK to Oz trip. Some variants of the A340 can do about 9,000 miles at a push, but 8,000 is more like it with any appreciable load, and although the Wilco A340 is not perfect (that being your best choice at the moment), it isn't as bad as some people would have you believe, so it is one to consider Although of course you gain nothing in non stop ability over the MD-11, since the A340 can't do London to Sydney in one go either, however, the A340 can do some flights that the MD-11 could not do legally, nor the B777 to for that matter, since with four engines, the A340 does not need to adhere to ETOPS limitations, which is in fact why Qantas and a few other airlines who do long over water trips in that part of the world were interested in the A340, and why they wanted the A380 and the 747 as opposed to twins. Twin engined reliability is of course pretty good these days, but you can't fly everywhere on ETOPS rules, some remote places where there's a lot of ocean to cross are still off limits, as are some parts of the poles. FSL have an A340 coming eventually, but don't hold you breath waiting for it, if you want one now, then the Wilco one is about the only game in town, and as noted, it's better than some people would have you believe, not perfect, but certainly fairly convincing. And of course the A340 is a very elegant looking bird. Al Alan Bradbury Check out my youtube flight sim videos: Here
June 29, 201213 yr I assumed there was a stopover because that's what 747s usually do on that route.. most commonly in Singapore or Hong Kong but depends on the airline. I've stopped in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Tokyo before. Even the A380 doesn't take us all the way when I fly to London, although if they took less passengers, more fuel, and less profit they could take us all the way in one go :)
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