Well, the most simple of PMDG is the pogostick

I'll deviate, slightly, from the excellent suggestions above.

 

My suggestion is: Fly the PMDG plane that you WANT to fly first.

 

Why?

The tutorials are excellent. There are pictures and they are very easy to follow. Additionally, there are several tutorials out there on you tube si there is a wealth of information out there for novice and intermediate flyers.

 

When you are flying what you want to fly, you should have more personal interest in learning about it.

 

There are less complex airliners out there, but if you want to start at the PMDG level of addons, I suggest, simply, fly what you want!

Yes, I know there are hundreds if not thousands of pages to read before actually flying these planes. I will definitely enjoy doing that (that's why I chose PMDG).

I am very well aware of the fact that they are not "beginner aircraft". Of course, I will start with Cessna 172 But I wanted a few hints in order to make a better decision when I will eventually purchase my first PMDG aircraft.

 

Thank you for your answers!

 

Get the 777

Just personal opinion but I think the 737 NGX is the best aircraft period.  It's a hard-core sim though.  FS2Crew (an add-on) adds a co-pilot that makes the plane much easier to operate.  The Aerosoft A320/A321 are also very good and probably better for a beginner.

I'd recommend the NGX base pack and go from there.  Fly the tutorial, fully automated, autoland etc and build up from there to manual landings on ILS then go visual etc.  I recall the buzz of just getting the 747 from A to B after hitting the CMD at 500ft all the way to autoland.  I also recall actually having to take over the controls for the first time in the MD-11 due to wonky ATC instructions and being surprised how easy it was to land manually (see Kyle's comments re: small vs big aircraft).

 

Caveat emptor: I'm the worst kind of virtual pilot i'm afraid as I never spent much time in the Cessna and usually go through the tutorial, rinse, repeat and if anything unexpected comes up then I hit the manuals or search the forums.  I've gone from the 747, MD-11, NGX and now the 777 with that approach.  I could have saved myself a bunch of time by simply RTFM, and would undoubtably be a better virtual pilot, but to be honest I've had a great time discovering the intricacies of these machines in my own distinctly haphazard way.

 

I'm one of those "wonder of flight" types, I guess.  No way I could ever raise my hand if an airline attendant asked in an emergency "Can anyone fly a 777?"  You can however surprise yourself how 'expert' you become over time.  I'm now flying RNAV approaches into some seriously scary airports with the NGX and having an absolute blast.

 

Flight simming is what you make it, PMDG provide incredible tools for making the most of it whatever your approach.

 

******************

 

Richard A Wells

If you are a complete beginner, I think you will get a lot out of going for the A2A 172.  Start where real pilots start, learn to navigate, etc. then move up.  Another option is to look for some freeware aircraft and do some flights that force you to navigate VOR to VOR, calculate your decent, etc.  I started this way and got a lot out of learning to fly without the automatics and FMC.  A great place to start after the 172 would be the freeware Tin Mouse 737 and there are a bunch of other options in the category.

Those suggesting a sim beginner should follow the path a real pilot follows are missing the fact that a real pilot will have hundreds of flying hours when first being put in the right hand seat of a turboprop and so can handle the extra complexity. A beginner in the sim world isn't going to wait for that many hours before moving on to an airliner. Anyway commercial pilots don't start on turboprops if their airline doesn't have them in the fleet. So they might start on a 737, A320, or even a 747 in some cases.

 

Jets like the 737 and A320 are much more suitable for beginners than turboprops.

but last not least : my recommendation is : PMDG 747-400X,it is easy to fly,nevertheless a high-tech mashine ever today and has no conflict with CPU and greeting KYLE

Those suggesting a sim beginner should follow the path a real pilot follows are missing the fact that a real pilot will have hundreds of flying hours when first being put in the right hand seat of a turboprop and so can handle the extra complexity. A beginner in the sim world isn't going to wait for that many hours before moving on to an airliner. Anyway commercial pilots don't start on turboprops if their airline doesn't have them in the fleet. So they might start on a 737, A320, or even a 747 in some cases.

 

Jets like the 737 and A320 are much more suitable for beginners than turboprops.

Bingo.  Its a hobby for most of us.  We all have lives and commitments outside of burning 30 minutes or 13+ hrs on flight sim.

 

No shame at all in jumping in at the (highly automated: easy) deep end.

Several guys mention A2A Cessna - I recommend you also look at A2A Piper Cherokee, it is just about the same fit for a basic trainer, and I like flying it a lot more compared to the 172.

I would recommend the 737NGX because it's not as automated as the 777. Don't get me wrong, the 777 is a lot of fun to fly with all its featurs but I think it is harder to fly the 737 after you learned the 777. 

 

For me learning the 777 after the 737 wasn't a big deal. 

 

+ 1

 

I'd say get the 737 NGX first and learn to fly this one properly. If you handle this one correctly, transitioning to the T7 is a breeze. 

 

It's like learning to drive a car. When you're given the option to learn to drive on a car with an automatic gearbox, or with a classic manual gearbox, which one would you choose ? I'd go for the manual any time, because if you can master that one, you can master the one with the automatic gearbox too. The other way around might be harder. I think, with any system, in or outside aviation, it is important to first to learn to do it the manual way before relying on automation. It gives you a better understanding of how automation works, and you can take over more confidently when automation fails.

 

It also is the more natural realistic career way of progressing...

Personally, I recommend the 737. The most versatile type of all the PMDG products. Still my absolute favorite by far. Period. 

Hi all,

 

Interesting comments above, but which one is best, mmmmm well!

 

Most of these airliner's are basically similar when you get down to the bones of it. Some like the 777 and MD11 are highly automated, which pmdg have faithfully replicated. Other's like the 737 are more hands on, like someone said in the comments above. 

 

You didn't say in the OP what you wanted to do with your new airliner, short, medium or long haul?

 

The 737 has the shortest range, and the 600/700 models you mentioned are an addon to the base pack, which contains 800/900 versions only. The 747 and the MD11 are older products and the Virtual Cockpits don't have the fantastic clear textures we have in the 737 and 777, but are better for your poor old system trying to run it all. You also get a passenger and freight version of each in the basic package too. The 777 base pack is a 200 LR and a freighter but the 300 is an addon which is a separate purchase.

 

Would I suggest spending hours studying all the 1000's of pages of manual's NO!  Just load up the plane and fly it. use the autopilot to set heading and altitude and fly VOR to VOR like a big Cessna. Lean to program the FMC as you go along and your need to know things expands with your enjoyment of flying the plane. The challenge of getting from A to B. Fuel planning, weight and balance can all come later as you want to know more. Don't try and learn it all and be perfect from the off else you sit there reading manuals and not flying anywhere, where is the fun in that! Also this way you pick up something on every flight and can put that to good use in the next flight, making each better and better.

 

So you asked which one we would recommend, well they are all brilliant, all for different reasons, but the one for me that has flown the furthest and had the most use over the years, and I have them all, 747, MD11, J41, 737 and 777 is definitely the MD11. Why, well it's just a bit different to all the Boeing's it's a bit quirky with some novel features such as "Dial a flap" and I like that in a plane, it's easy on the PC too and you get good Frames/Second as well. But that's only my opinion. I would also watch as many Youtube videos on pmdg aircraft and there are thousands out there and see which you find interesting and think you might enjoy flying.

 

Hope you find what your looking for, it's out there somewhere.

Yes, I know there are hundreds if not thousands of pages to read before actually flying these planes. I will definitely enjoy doing that (that's why I chose PMDG).

I am very well aware of the fact that they are not "beginner aircraft". Of course, I will start with Cessna 172 But I wanted a few hints in order to make a better decision when I will eventually purchase my first PMDG aircraft.

 

Thank you for your answers!

The 737NGX is easier than the 777 in one respect - the HUD display. It'll help you nail the perfect glide slope and landing nearly every time.

Lots of good advice so far. As far as progressing up the carrier ladder like the OP communicated he was interested in doing, wouldnt it make sense (and this is just with whats in PMDG's quiver) to start with the BAe Jetstream 4100? Its and oldie but still a goodie. Then he would progress to the NGX, then to the 777. For me the absolute easiest PMDG to fly is the 777.