I'm going with my initial suspect: http://forum.avsim.net/topic/454122-25oct14-first-glance-at-pmdg-777-200-for-prepar3d/page-7#entry3103295 , that DC-3 would make most sense :wink:

 

I'm just going by the numbers of people I see flying certain type of aircraft on VATSIM and I don't see many DCs or MD11s any more.  Never did really.  

 

...

 

What do you think?  

 

Others seem to have chimed in in favor of the DC-6 (or DC-3).  I guess the question is, are VATSIM users representative of the demand for a piston airliner?  My guess would be, probably not.  Doesn't mean that piston airliners aren't commercially viable.  A2A built their business on piston warbirds, an airliner and a small GA (the Cub).  Now they're moving heavily into GA, which makes commercial sense, but older piston aircraft got them started.  If and when PMDG releases a piston airliner or two, it'll be more of a crossover project, something that will appeal more to the A2A crowd than to the core PMDG customer base.  Keep in mind also that their original goal with the DC-6 was to keep developers occupied during slow periods, and of course working on something that had personal appeal for them.

 

My personal take - without tin foil hat this time - is that there's an outside chance of a second "PMDG Classic" product similar to the DC-6, only because Rob referred to "Classics" in the plural.  But if I had to bet, I'd put my money on some kind of utility, not an aircraft.  I think there's very little chance of a "surprise" airliner, mainly because of the length of time it takes them to develop one.  It'd be hard to keep an airliner project completely under wraps for a period of years.

 

But I'm willing to be happily surprised by any and all options.

I'm going with my initial suspect: http://forum.avsim.net/topic/454122-25oct14-first-glance-at-pmdg-777-200-for-prepar3d/page-7#entry3103295 , that DC-3 would make most sense :wink:

 

Agreed - I think if it's going to be a surprise airplane, that could well be it.  But as noted above, I'm guessing that something other than an airplane is more likely.

 

Will stay hopeful of a Gooney Bird, though...

If its the DC-3 PMDG should do a virtual golden ticket to invite someone to tour and fly the aircraft.

Good points Alan.  I agree with them all.  I'm still leaning towards a Boeing because that would fit their MO.  With that said they did do the Jetstream which is very different from their MO.  So confused :-)

 

It's probably an add-on that works with all their products.  Virtual Randanzo.  Comes and does your PFPX for you, drives your GSX vehicles and even flies the plane.  

 

OR shared cockpit multi crew from the 777 products forward, hence the failures programming comment.   

Could it be the ARINC 424 FMC? I remember Rob saying something about it possibly being added with the 747 v2.0.

It's rather unlikely, but I'm hoping for a PMDG 727 to be honest.

 

We had the wonderful Dreamfleet 727 for FS2004, but I'm sure most of us prefer FSX nowadays. Which is why it would be lovely to have a nice classic Boeing airliner for FSX that also offers somewhat realistic systems, and that won't start up if you do something wrong. This should rule out the CS 727 afaik  :rolleyes:

 

 

We had the wonderful Dreamfleet 727 for FS2004

 

I really, really miss that plane.

 

On another plane out there, my ELEC system keeps dying because the GEN switches don't control the FSX Internal GEN switches. I start up, taxi out, and then halfway to the runway, the ELEC dies from running on the battery the whole time without the GENs.

 

Reload plane, set everything up, start, hit CTRL+SHIFT+G...realism ruined.

A problem with the 727 might be its large number of variants and modifications...DF did a pretty complete package. 

 

I'd be happy with a -200 or rather -200Adv already

Look, I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been DYING for a good Wright Bros flyer ever since I started flying. I've grown bored with 10,000 nm flights. I feel much more challenged with the stunning 852 feet it's capable of!

Since nobody said this and since the mills are spinning at their max, let me add to the pile..

 

 

It's the Chinook guys/gals...they are branching out to rotors, still boeing though

 

 

 

(ducks for cover, sits back, popcorn out....)

Maybe its a space shuttle.  I can see my big 744v2 giving her a piggyback ride back to the Kennedy Space Center

Please, not another glass Boeing. I have the 3,4 and 7 but I have pretty much stopped flying them. I haven't bought the 7 varients and I probably wont buy the 747v2 since I can already fly the 747v1. A classic like the DC-6 would be great fun, and give me the learning challange I am looking for, but it probably wont satisfy the tube liner supervisors that make up most of this market. 

 

I would love to see them do an Airbus, but suspect that is quite unlikely for a number of reasons not worth repeating here.

 

The remaining hole in the PMDG product range is a decent regional, in the 50 to 150 seat range and the potential options are huge: MD-80, Dash 8, ATR, Fokker, BAe. Something that fits between the all steam of the J-41 and the all glass of the 777.  Flights that are long enough to require careful planning and short enough to complete with out needing quick time in the middle. In other words, a CRJ or an Embraer.

 

 

Flights that are long enough to require careful planning and short enough to complete with out needing quick time in the middle. In other words, a CRJ or an Embraer.

 

A CRJ would be nice. I've never really been a fan of the lawn dart, even though I own the FeelThere version (which isn't too bad, actually).

 

It would definitely let me re-live my old ACA/Independence Air days (on the ramp...but also as a brake rider).

A CRJ would be nice. I've never really been a fan of the lawn dart, even though I own the FeelThere version (which isn't too bad, actually).

 

It would definitely let me re-live my old ACA/Independence Air days (on the ramp...but also as a brake rider).

 

I have the FeelThere onces as well.  They are great, but a bit dated in the eye candy arena.

 

I think it would be cool to see something like the new CS100... sort of like the uber lawn dart

For the subgroup (or, um, cult) of PMDG DC-3 hopefuls, a bit of news from another quarter - Jan Visser (of MAAMsim fame) posted last night at Sim Outhouse that his "vintage VC" project for the Manfred Jahn C-47 is underway again, thanks to Mike Cyul of Flight Replicas, who's agreed to come onbard as gauge coder, replacing the original coder, who unfortunately went missing.

 

Manfred's C-47 is a stunning (and free) piece of work - better than most payware, frankly.  With the new VC in place - well, it may not be the absolute equal of a PMDG or A2A DC-3, but it comes very, very close.

 

Jan's post is here.  Go to the top of the thread and read through for pictures of the vintage VC work in progress.

 

Now, back to your regular programming.  And I'll go make more Jiffy Pop (need that tinfoil for my hat collection...)