...I fly on pilotedge all the time...

I missed that bit of info the first time I read your post. If you do any IFR on PE, just plan to go /A or /U unless you pay for another GPS solution and get updated nav and approach data. I don't know that I've found a single GPS approach that is still valid in P3D's circa 2006 nav data.

 

Also, the PE client for FSX/P3D is not nearly as integrated as XPlane's. You'll generally have to use the pop up PE transponder to select mode and ident.

 

Neither is a deal breaker, but PE and Xplane are very nicely integrated.

Sorry kaosfere ... my post was meant to be a comment addressed to the OP,  only problem was I did not address it to the OP. :unsure:   Therefore I apologise for the confusion my ineptness caused.

 

 

On the other hand there's just something about XP's flight modeling that feels more natural like the planes have real weight and inertia. I have A2A's 172 for P3D and it is fantastic...flies dead on the numbers. It still feels a little like it is on rails, though. But don't get me wrong. I'm not saying P3D is bad, just different.

 

If I was to go back through my postings, somewhere in the era of X-Plane 7, and possibly 8 ( I don't remember for sure).....................my most notable complaint about X-Plane was lack of inertia, no sense of power to weight, and a couple of others. Seemed like controls were strings of a puppet, in which pitch and roll just exactly corresponded to the control stick. I didn't sense smaller GA being any different than larger commercial aircraft. 

 

I also felt the same about FS98, but that sim pre-dated the X-Planes I mentioned, by several years. It was Pro-Pilot, than finally provided the sense of flying an airplane. That would be around 1997.  Then came along Microsoft's Combat 1 & 2.  These planes had a real sense of power to weight, and really did seem like high powered single engine aircraft.  I had flown in a P-51D Mustang,  before that point in time.

 

At the present time, I don't know if there is any real difference in the computerized feel of P3D versus the FSX versions. I don't yet have P3D, yet I haven't heard of noticeable differences.  What I do know, is that I use some very well done 3rd party planes for FSX. These certainly have that feel of inertia, power to weight, and mass.  I've already spoken of my thoughts on "flying on rails" a few postings up. My thoughts about that hasn't changed in many years.

 

When it comes down to it, I'm just not sensing this difference in feel between decent X-Planes, and decent FSX planes. I read about it, but don't believe it. In real life, I haven't flown a heavy commercial jet as PIC, but I've flown a lot of different GA and aerobatic planes, such as the Pitts and Marchetti SF260, as well as gliders. I've also test flown new planes for rigging purposes. I have the sense about feel, when it comes to "heavy wings", balanced pitch and roll, etc.

 

Currently using some Carenado planes for XP10 and the RealAir Lancair Legacy & Turbo Duke for FSX.  I have quite a few more, that I'll have to download again (including the A2A Cub).  It should be noted that a pilot who owned a single engine Beech, as well as the Baron, thought that Carenado's single engine Beech for XP-10 was one of the best flight models for simming, that he had.  Based on that, I bought it.  

I have used MSFS since v5.0 in 1994, had P3Dv2.x since December 2013, new to XP. Have an ASEL license with an instrument rating. Day job is a budget manager / financial planner for a local government...

 

P3D is excellent. If only the developers of XP had the resources of LM.. I switched to XP after my better-half bought me a new hi-res iMac. If only P3D wasn't wedded to Windows, however I understand why.

 

My first reaction with XP was how well it felt flying the default C172. I recall extending the flaps before bleeding off speed and having the very same feel as the real plane. I still have my PC (built it myself, lots of horse-power, water-cooled CPU, etc. etc.) The other attraction with the iMac (and therefore XP) is the screen resolution- fixable by upgrading my PC monitor which is currently 1080P.

 

There are many posts here about the issues of ATC, seasonal textures, etc. in XP. With the rate the LM are investing in P3D, I doubt that in many areas XP will keep up.... but in the face of all that P3D offers, for entirely subjective reasons I prefer XP. Night lighting is amazing.. the ability to just back up the folder structure as an archive and simply replace folders if they become corrupted, rarther than having to reinstall stuff... I love XP.

 

Thanks, Bruce.

64bit isn't everything ;-)

Agreed. 64-bit isn't the holy grail. Lockheed Martin is doing a good job of getting the 32bit based polished and fixed before moving to 64bit.

Ive used P3d since its beginning and it is trully fantastic what LM has done with it so far. Im sure they will contiue development as time goes by, so there is a lot to look forward to.

 

Ive also used XP10 for the last 2 years (or whenever it was when v10 first came out) and although it was pretty raw at first, ive grow to love it as more bug fixes and features/addons have been added to it. It still has a long way to go in terms of available addons, but the reason it has become my #1 sim is the ease at witch I can customize it. I created scenery for my hometown airport and airports around it, pluss there is tons of freeware coming out for it all the time and a lot of it is pretty dam good! There are still features, I wish it had, but it too is moving in a positive direction.

 

As for flight models, Like LAdamson said a few posts up, it all depends on the plane and how the developer was able to make it work within that sim. I have planes for P3s that fly like crap and same for XP. There are also some real gems for each sim. Its not that one sim is better than the other, its all about how well a developer was able to get the best out of that sim with that addon. 

 

Graphics are all subjective and both have their good an bad points. Lighting in XP is fantastic, Clouds are better in P3d etc..  I hate the my sim is better than your sim mentality. Flight sims mean different things to different people and it all about what works best for you. They are both amazing in my book! Owning both is the best way to get the most out of this hobby.

 

Rob