Its truly amazing

[AirCanada235 103]

So after upgrading my Mac Pro which I run FSX on via Windows 7 via boot camp, I decided to take a stroll down memory lane with PMDG and some of the great airports I like to fly to.  Partly as a system integrity test posy upgrade and partly because I had a few favorite airplanes I hadn't touched in a while since the Trippler came around!!  For those of you who are die hard PMDG'ers, you will appreciate this.

 

I departed CYVR (Vancouver BC) for Seattle in the 747-400.  I forgot what a beauty this airplane was to fly.  I love the PMDG pop cans and love to set myself up in the observer seat to watch things happen.  Trule a great airplane.  Made my final descent and landing in to KSEA (Seattle WA) taxied to parking and then switched in to the Jetstream.  WHAT A MACHINE!!!!  Flew down to Portland, past Mt St Helens and had to contend with some crosswinds but taxied to parking, shutdown and then set myself up in the MD-11.  This massive machine is one of my favorite that PMDG has ever done.  I have always found MD products to be the perfect blend of technology and pilot.  I found this to be true with my time in the MD-80 for JetsGo - now defunct in Canada and the same bodes true for the MD-11.  Just a great blend.  After loading up the "three holer cargo bird", I headed off for Denver.  Overshot due to traffic on the runways - thanks Ultimate Traffic II - lol, came around visual and laded, parked and shut down and reset myself in the NGX.  This baby Boeing is just awesome!!  I feel bad that I have neglected it as such as I have since the 777 came along because on my way to Chicago, I remembered the hours of fun I had flying this airplane around.  I remember trying to purchase that machine on launch day and the issues I had with the servers being down.  Finally, in Chicago, it was time to take the flagship 777 for a short trip to New York.  There is nothing more that I can really say other than wow!!  It simply an amazing machine and pretty spot on to real life.  Being an RP, I don't get a lot of time below 10,000 feel on the bird except in sim, but it all works the same.  Aside from the smell and barometric pressure changes one gets when flying a real airplane, this thing is amazing.  I have showed it off to other pilot buddies of mine and they are stunned!!

 

With all of that being said, what dawned on me was just how far PMDG has come.  From the first 737 I bought to the 777 and literally everything in between, each and every product has been nothing short of amazing and really well thought out.  The level of detail and realism in each new airplane they have produced never stops amazing me.  All of this because very clear when I flew the entire fleet on Saturday.

 

Hats off to PMDG and everyone involved in the organization.  The only hole in your fleet is the 757/767 and boy would that ever be a treat.  That would sure round things out nicely!!

 

In closing, I would encourage each of your try what I did so you too can see just how far things have progressed.  Because after all, its truly amazing!

 

DR 

[FleaJump 7]

Your descriptions of the superb product line produced by PMDG are inspiring enough to get me taking a few short flights with a few of PMDG's earlier offerings once again, Dave.

 

 I too have been a loyal PMDG customer for a while now, with just about every aircraft they put out, except for the JS41, in my collection.  Thanks for this great description of your virtual air tour, with your aircraft morphing into another PMDG creation at each stop. 

[Vim Fuego 1]

The real leap forward for me with PMDG was the MD-11.  I still regard it as the benchmark sim.  The 747 I couldnt run without tuning down just about everything but runways in FSX on my old Core Duo machine, but the MD-11 was ready to rock from the start.

 

The MD-11 really opened my eyes to what FS, and a VC could do.  All of a sudden I was no longer sat in my spare room, I was 36000ft above Europe...there goes Belgium, here comes Heathrow, lulled almost to sleep by the whirr of the air conditioning, now turn on the dome lights to read the instrument approach plates to Manchester.

 

Great days.

 

I should note, it all got better.  I've now replaced the MD-11 with the younger, better looking and let's face it, better endowed 777. 

[CrewF16 26]

Unfortunately I do not own the MD-11 and have not purchased the T7 yet. But I have recently joined Vatsim and rolled out the old J-41 again and forgot what a joy she is. Somewhat of a challenge to fly to the stringent IFR standards but very fun.

[cavaricooper 2,611]

Now- for true shock & awe, rewind to the days of Flight Sim on the Apple IIc. Go from wire framed mountains and a single river. Then on to the first FS with a VC 172 at Meigs. Then on to the original NG.... through the 744, MD-11, J-41, NGX and now the 777L/W. The user experience from the Apple IIc days to now is literally worlds apart. The time span however is only 1985-2015.

 

In those 30 years- NOTHING in the civilian desktop flight simulation market has advanced the user experience more than PMDG. There are others who do GA and classics brilliantly- but NO ONE does jet transport aircraft as well- PERIOD.

 

Now, fast forward another 30 years.... Are you smiling? I am......

 

Best-

[FleaJump 7]

Wow Carl, your flight sim days go way back through the swirling mists of time, and the brief summation you have provided above, chronicling desktop flight simulation's rapid evolution, is very informative for those of us who joined the community of virtual aviators a little more recently.

 

Also I agree with you entirely that PMDG remains the flight sim gold standard of airliners, in a class of its own, and still comfortably well above the fray of determined competitors snapping at its heels.    

[serviceceiling 135]

I couldn't agree more. With each product they've raised the bar even further...even if the step from the NGX to the 777 wasn't that big in general but still...I kind of can't fly the NGX without a weather radar anymore if there are some CB's in the area...kind of an immersion killer as Scott from A2A would say...

 

Don't get me wrong the NG is a tremendous simulation and I have hundrets of hours in it already but the 777 is even MORE immersive in my opinion. I can't even imagine what will be included in the 747V2.

[Christopher Low 5,324]

If you haven't played Psion Flight Simulator on the ZX Spectrum, then you haven't lived! This was my first ever flight simulator. Two runways, three lakes, and not a lot else. I am pretty sure that the ground was green (and the lakes were blue) in my version though...

 

[downscc 1,327]

 

 

rewind to the days of Flight Sim on the Apple IIc. Go from wire framed mountains and a single river.

 

I played that on my new IBM 5150 PC that cost $3000 in 1982, the sound came through the PC speaker; kinda hard to describe but it was enchanting. Of course it was monochrome.

[jfriz 27]

Hi Folks,

I also had the same program,  It was on a tape cassette, that was mailed to me, had to reload each time, on my TI 99 computer.  [Texas Instruments]

 

Regards,

Jerry Friz

[ebo77 1]

my first simulator Fighter Pilot on the zx spectrum 48k 

[Christopher Low 5,324]

There are times when I wish that I could return to the days of the ZX Spectrum.....

[DrumsArt 270]

I spent many hours on Psion Flight Simulator, Fighter Pilot and Tomahawk. Since 1982 I have always mine in his box + Microdrives and many many programs. I learned Basic and Z80 language machine on it. Great time on the Sinclair Spectrum 48Ko !

 

Regards,

 

Richard Portier