Sort of new to GA suggest a couple of aircraft.

[vhqpa88 14]

G'day everyone as the title suggests six months ago after almost ten years of mainly pushing heavy tin around in FS2002, FS9 and FSX I decided to branch out to GA flying as well. I have the Reality XP 530 gauge and intend on purchasing the 430 unit shortly. My current GA fleet consists of Realair Lancair Legacy, Realair Turbo Duke, Carenado Piper PA46T Jetprop, Carenado King Air C90 and Carenado King Air B200. Over the next few weeks I envision purchasing at least another two GA aircraft. The three main attributes I require are; Fully functional VC with 3D gauges, Realistic flight dymanics and Realistic engine simulation. Ideally I would prefer conventional Gauges with RXP integration however I'm also open to G1000 like avionics however they must be well simulated. 

 

Basically what I'm looking at is:

 

a) Single Piston. At this stage I'm specifically looking at the Carenado A36 Bonanza not too keen on the Aspen avionics but it's not a deal breaker. Also not sure about the FDE on this one I have heard that Carenado can be hit or miss. Also how's the engine simulated? Their Turboprops seem to use the flawed FSX turboprop model. Being a piston am I correct in assuming there aren't any FSX limitations that may affect engine performance?

 

b) Twin Piston. This is pretty much a two horse race between the Realair Duke and the Milviz Baron. I love my Legacy and Turbo Duke from Realair. In hindsight I should've purchased the combo pack however It seems Simmarket doesn't sell the combo pack so I only got the Turbo version. On the other hand the Milviz Baron looks amazing. I currently don't have any Milviz products however I know they are highly regarded.

 

I intend on using the single piston on short "scenic hops" mainly within the US and AU. The twin will join the Turbo Duke on longer flights between regions. Aside from the above I'm open to any suggestions.

 

If you have any recommendations especially on the aforementioned aircraft I'd like to hear from you.

 

Thank you

[Howellerman 104]

You will love the piston Duke!

[Lowflyer 97]

Single: BayTower RV-7 Don't ask, just get it...

 

Twin: I have both RealAir Dukes and the MilViz Baron. I'd say RealAir's interiors are better than MilViz', but not by much. I like how the B55 flies though, and since it's being sold by Flight1 you can always get your money back if you don't like it. Same goes for the RV-7 by the way...

[JimmiG 244]

For the Bonanza, also consider the older F33A and V35, also from Carenado. I have the F33 and really like it. Very frame rate friendly and proper analog gauges. All three Bonanzas have FDE's by Bernt Stolle (F33A/V35 via "optional" patch) so no worries about the flight modelling,

 

I have the Turbine Duke also and I'm not sure about the Piston Duke. Sometimes I feel I should buy it to complete my collection, but it looks so similar to the Turbine Duke. Turbine Duke is probably more fun, too, due to the powerful engines.

 

I also have the MilViz C310 - I think the C310 (real aircraft) looks much better than the bulbous Baron, but in terms of the simulation, they should be equal. If you prefer the Baron, I'm sure you can't go wrong with MilViz's rendition. Also don't forget the C337 from Carenado, a true GA classic.

[MauB 74]

A bit low and slow, but I would say A2A Cub and/or Aerosoft KatanaX.

Immersive, fully functional, feature rich and very well done piece of flight simulation software.

[Kaboki 437]

If your looking for even more depth than those you have and what's been suggested, I would higly reccomend the A2A's p51 civil and their upcoming c172(allthough still far from realease). Just takeing off in the p51 is a challenge and you really need to work on the rudder to keep it strait. It also simulates wear and tear very well and that gives you even more challenge. And getting out of a over g power stall also can be quite dramatic(most challenging stall i've seen in FSX, useally with other addons the plane just gets out of the stall by itself).

And the P51 Civil will be the fastest  GA plane you can get your hands on..

[Holdit 551]

For the single piston, the RealAir SF260 must surely be worthy of consideration.  It's quick, with nice clear instrumentation, full avionics (but no panel-mounted GPS) and a great view from the bubble canopy for those scenic flights. ( http://realairsimulations.com/flash.php?page=sf26007_intro )

 

One that I don't have myself but I think would also be well worth a look before deciding would be A2A's cilvilian Mustang ( http://tinyurl.com/n2q75s5 ).

 

I'll also add a vote for the A2A Cub, as long as you're not in a hurry :smile:. 

 

 

 

[Scorp 15]

My choice for the best GA

 

http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/index.htm

[ryanbatc 12,814]

Single: BayTower RV-7 Don't ask, just get it...

 

 

 

Yep, what I was going to suggest too.  Such a nice plane.  Quick, but ultra low stall speed so you can get into the tiniest of strips.  Comes with and without wheel pants for those tricky grass strips too.

 

I would also strongly consider the A2A Civilian Mustang.  Quite the speed demon, also has a simple RXP 430 integration (simple meaning no 3d knobs but still fits nicely).  Well-modeled engine with 3D gauges (fits your description).

 

 

My choice for the best GA

 

http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/index.htm

 

Dreamfleet was the bees knees for FS2002/FS9.  But their stuff doesn't work well in x64 OS unless you sub out the RXP gauges for their FLT N and T and 430/530 stuff.  I really miss their stuff (though today it would be dated but back then it was great!)  I think all except their Dakota would be FS9 portovers... (maybe the Archer is native too can't recall).

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

For the Bonanza, also consider the older F33A and V35, also from Carenado. I have the F33 and really like it.  Also don't forget the C337 from Carenado, a true GA classic.

 

Agree on the F33 and C337 recommendation - both really good.

[ryanbatc 12,814]

That's why I love flying GA!  So many wonderful planes.... YUMMMMMY IN MY TUMMY!

[tttocs 301]

F33 or V35 with the "optional" Bernt Stolle FDE are good choices, with surprisingly good visibility for low wings - just be aware that these both predate full RXP integration, so you'll need to either 1) turn off 3D knobs and integrate by hand or 2) leave things as is and use your RXP as a popup.  Just FYI.

 

The 337 is unique and a favorite of mine, so that's an easy recommendation.  The Milviz B55 is another.  The B55 panel is about as real-looking a panel as you'll find.  The Milviz 310 gets a lot of shouts as well - Milviz has said they're going to do an update on it in the next few months to directly support RXP 3D integration as they did with the Baron.

 

There's nothing wrong with the Carenado A36 (it does have a B. Stolle FDE), and the Aspen Avionics modeled really aren't bad at all, but I've never been able to warm up to the plane like I have others.  It just seems to lack soul, for lack of a better way of putting it.

 

Scott

[Portia911 9]

In hindsight I should've purchased the combo pack however It seems Simmarket doesn't sell the combo pack so I only got the Turbo version.

You can at least get a discounted price for the Baron if you purchased your Turbo from SimMarket. I think you can only get the combo pack from the RealAir site - but yes, that is the best deal.

[pilottj 198]

Another vote for RV-7 and A2A Mustang, both awesome machines as described above.   Don't worry about the P-51's lack of 3D buttons for the RXP.  The unit is directly in front of the pilot so from that point of view you don't really see '3D' buttons anyway.  IMHO The 337 and 185 (with Bernt's FDE Fixes) are Carenado's best creations, tho like most Carenados, they lack the system depth of the A2A, Milviz, RealAir, CH, Baytower...etc.  The Classic Hangars BF-108 is also very excellent if you want something exotic.  Sibwings Safir is quite nice old clunker too tho the VC graphics aren't quite as sharp as some of the others.

 

For a twin you might also consider the Milviz 310R.  That is the one twin that will give you the realistic 'oh sh#t!' excitement if you kill an engine after takeoff.  Another twin to consider is Aerosoft's OV-10 Bronco, not exactly GA but pretty close, and very unique.  Its the only twin that I know of where you can shut down an engine in flight, and perform a realistic air start.  A2A's accusim planes also allow you to air start realistically. 

 

Cheers

TJ

[pilottj 198]

Another 'not quite' GA to consider is Ant's awesome T-28D.  Pretty cheap, great systems, FDE, visuals and so on.