This thread isn't unique, but I've boiled it down to two planes.

 

Aerosoft A320

 

or

 

Majestic Q400

 

 

I like complicated systems, but a good way to learn. I'm unsure about the tutorials and manuals of both aircraft. The Q400 does have Airline2Sim which is a seperate cost.

 

I like the Q400 as I've ridden in one, but I also like the Airbus extra tidbits it adds. The Q400 will have future upgrades as well.

 

The Q400 appears to have a bit of issues with P3D but...

 

Gah..which one? I haven't flown one complicated tubeliner at all. In fact, P3D doesn't come with much commercial aircraft.

I've never had issues with the Q400 in P3D. That being said, Majestic just released a patch yesterday that makes the Q400 fully compatible with P3Dv2. It is hands down the best turboprop on the market and a blast to fly. There are tons of great liveries available too.

 

I also have the Aerosoft A320x and really enjoy it too. Don't forget the A318/319 is likely to get released later this year. A lot of nice feature upgrades will be implemented in that package which will then be added to the A320/321 (at a small price). The systems are not fully modelled but enough to make it immersive and take you through normal operations. What's nice about the bus is the copilot and checklist features that make the aircraft very easy to manage. But if you want it to be more complex and 'busy', you can turn the copilot off. The fly by wire is modelled nicely in my opinion.

 

Then there is the MilViz 737-200 which I really like a lot. I would check that one out too. The only downside is there aren't a lot of liveries available because the paint kit was so poorly put together, which is a real shame because it's a great classic 737.

 

I would say those are the top 3 for P3D right now until PMDG products are made available (which will likely be at a considerable cost above what is charged for their FSX licenses, none of which I own by the way).

 

Clear as mud, right?

 

Todd

I love both of these equally but as a first airliner I'd probably go for the Aerosoft A320/A321 as it's unquestionably easier to learn and operate, and the systems aren't as deep.

 

Don't be too far behind with the Q400 though as that is amazing too.

I've never had issues with the Q400 in P3D. That being said, Majestic just released a patch yesterday that makes the Q400 fully compatible with P3Dv2. It is hands down the best turboprop on the market and a blast to fly. There are tons of great liveries available too.

 

I also have the Aerosoft A320x and really enjoy it too. Don't forget the A318/319 is likely to get released later this year. A lot of nice feature upgrades will be implemented in that package which will then be added to the A320/321 (at a small price). The systems are not fully modelled but enough to make it immersive and take you through normal operations. What's nice about the bus is the copilot and checklist features that make the aircraft very easy to manage. But if you want it to be more complex and 'busy', you can turn the copilot off. The fly by wire is modelled nicely in my opinion.

 

Then there is the MilViz 737-200 which I really like a lot. I would check that one out too. The only downside is there aren't a lot of liveries available because the paint kit was so poorly put together, which is a real shame because it's a great classic 737.

 

I would say those are the top 3 for P3D right now until PMDG products are made available (which will likely be at a considerable cost above what is charged for their FSX licenses, none of which I own by the way).

 

Clear as mud, right?

 

Todd

That pretty much sums it up. Q400 would be my first choice. Hopefully pmdg prices are somewhat realistic. Really want the ngx in p3d.

My vote goes to the Q400.

 

With the updated installer/patch released for full P3Dv2 compatibility, it's easily my first choice.

 

With the AXE, you need to do some work before it's working 100% in P3Dv2.

Personally I favour the Majestic Q400 over the Aerosoft A320, here are some of my principle reasons:

• The A320 is very automated; you may consider that a good thing if you want a "beginners" airliner but I prefer the more manual Q400 as it keeps you busier in flight because it's less "set and forget"
• I expect FS Labs' A320 to be released this year and I also expect it will firmly relegate Aerosoft's in to second place. I tried the Aerosoft A320 and it didn't meet my personal realism requirements.

Whilst the Q400 is undoubtly the better quality of the two addons you've mentioned, I'm not sure the Q400 is a good choice for your first tubeliner as it's quite a complicated beast both systems and flight handling wise. I am somewhat surprised you've ruled out PMDG's 737 NGX as it's a good jet to cut your teeth on (although legally you can't use it in P3D, I think it's technically possible. PMDG are apparently going to offer a P3D licence/version but I shudder to think at the cost).

They are both absolutely great. The Q400 has much more system depth, however this also means that setting up the plane to go flying takes more time than in the AXE. If I have only limited time and want to do a quick flight then the AXE is my plane of choice. However, if I have time, then I definitely prefer flying the Q400 as it is more challenging and feels more "real". But they are both great. Especially if you add a voice control software such as FS2Crew. That's also a plus for the AXE. It comes with an AXE version of MCE for free! So you have voice control for free. In the end, it's a matter of taste. I would buy both. They are some of the best add-ons around...

 

PS: Airline2Sim is awesome. A must buy if you own the Q400.

PPS: The AXE works in P3dv2 without problems. And they will release the new A318/319 with full P3Dv2 compatibility shortly.

Q400

It comes with an AXE version of MCE for free!

 

 

Wait, it comes with Multi Crew Experience? Are you sure about that?

 

Doesn't it contain a ton of stuff including voice recognition? I thought the Airbus X was only sort of a Co-Pilot AI you could switch off, but no voice recognition?

 

FS2Crew isn't the same as MCE, so I'm confused.

Yes. The AXE comes with a special version of MCE which only works with the AXE but apart from that it is fully functional. There is also a full version of MCE (payware) which also works with the Q400.

 

FS2Crew is a different program which exists as a AXE version (button and voice) and a Q400 version (voice only). Both are separate payware add-ons. I own the Q400 version which is great.

You will spend a lot more time in the AXE

Given AXE is now voice controlled, that's the biggest bang for the buck to start.

 

Thank you!

Q400 definitely. But think about NGX or Leonardo Maddog also

Q400 is awesome.  It's automated enough to not be overwhelming, but you don't just load up a flight plan, hit TO/GA and let the autopilot do the rest.  There's no autothrottle so you have to manage that throughout the flight and it's a challenging aircraft to land, especially in poor weather conditions.

 

One thing to be aware of--it's not a bad thing IMO, but some people don't like it:  You have to manually key in your flight plan.  You can save plans that you've created and re-load them for later use, but you can't export a plan from your flight planner and import it straight into the FMC.  You also have to set the pax load and fuel up in their config utility after you've started the sim.  You can, of course, just set up a standard load of pax and/or fuel and use that for every flight, but it's really not a big deal to jump outside the sim, do what needs to be done, and jump back in.

 

Beyond that, it's great in every way.  For a simulation of its depth and breadth it is as frame-rate friendly as any of the default aircraft.  It's really one of the best simulations ever produced for FSX/P3D.

 

 

You have to manually key in your flight plan.

 

That is definitely a hazzle. It is not possible to put together a flight plan in PFPX and then export it to the Q400. This can be done with the AXE which saves quite a lot of time. Nice to do a quick evening flight without spending half an hour to prepare the plane...