Undecided about 744 and 777

[hammamet1 3]

Good afternoon everyone,

 

I bought the NGX one year ago, and have been thinking about getting a plane to do long haul flights, and waited for the release of the 744 to choose between that or the triple 7. But I'm still unsure about which one to buy!

 

 

Cheers!

 

João Portugal

[pedrotrindade 335]

Welcome to Avsim, João

 

It doesn't matter. Really. You will end up buying both.

[Cann0nF0dd3r 21]

I have the NGX and T7. The T7 is great and a ton of fun to fly but TBH if I had to choose between it and the 744 I'd probably get the 744. But that's just my opinion, they hadn't even released previews of the 744 when I got the T7.

[flyerboy 114]

Hey.  I bought the 777 for FSX when it was released back in 2013.  I upgraded to P3D just over a year ago fully and re purchased the 737 as the 777 was just a bit out of my price league.. HOWEVER bought the 747 straight away.

 

The 777 is fantastic, however its highly automated whilst you can have a bit of fun with the 744.  I think, currently the 747 is fantastic value considering you get many variants and sound packs.  Also we had 3 years to save for it  :wink:

[romangeber 23]

It depends on your goals and tastes. The 777 is the new king of the skies in the real world. If you're after copying real world flights the 777-300ER offers plenty of choice while the 747 is a less frequent sight at global airports these days.

 

However, the 777 base pack contains "only" the 200LR versions. That's a rare plane in the real world unless you're looking at cargo. Again, if you're looking to clone reality, the 300ER expansion is a bit of a must have.

 

The 747 package on the other hand is stuffed with all the 400 models you can possibly want. It may no longer be as popular with airlines these days, but the PMDG package most likely contains the right 747 for you.

 

If real world schedules don't interest you, here's another compaison that might help. The 777 is a more modern plane. There's a lot of automation in there. It also handles in "modern" ways. It's efficient and a bit easier to fly by hand. The 747 on the other hand is a bit more hands on. You have to worry about the fuel tank configuration throughout your flight. Some systems and screens you'd find in the 777 aren't there in the 747-400. And it handles a bit heavier. Meaning it descends and slows down quite quickly compared to it's more modern brother.

 

As far as the models go, the 777 is pretty much debugged, a great piece of stable software while the 747 was released today. My first flight with it went smoothly but it may contain bugs. Other than that, none of the planes is "better" than the other. Both models rock and deliver that level of quality only PMDG can give you. If you really can't decide, flip a coin. Any one of the two is worth it and should give you a great experience.

 

Have fun!

 

cu

Roman

[Chock 17,769]

I suspect the main thing you will be wanting to consider, is how modern you want your on-board systems to be, but you might also consider which flights you are interested in simulating and how easy a transition you want from the 737 in terms of avionics.

 

The Cripple Seven - a name it earned from it's 'state of the art' in flight entertainment system, which was always breaking lol - was designed as a replacement for older wide bodied jets such as the 747, L-1011 and DC-10, so needless to say, it's more economical to operate and has more modern avionics with some fancy fly-by-wire assistance, albeit not devolving as much from the pilots as Airbus aircraft typically do. The 747-400 by comparison is a lot older systems-wise and avionics wise too, however that does mean it will be a very easy transition from the 737 NG, since that too is not as fancy as the 777.

 

With the advent of more reliable engines, ETOPS rules have meant big twins such as the 777, 767, A330 and A300 can make long distance flights over water. But they cannot economically make all of them; there are still some routes (mainly over and around the Pacific and South Atlantic regions) which, whilst not necessarily requiring an aircraft with more than two engines, are more sensibly flown using four-engined types, since maintaining ETOPS certification is more expensive than simply utilising a four-engined type. Hence the Airbus A340, A380 and the 747-400 and 747-800. This means that you will be able to simulate pretty much any flight route with a 747, but a few routes will be beyond the 777's means (even though it does in fact hold records for some of the longest flights made in terms of mileage, just not over vast stretches of water), at least in terms of simulating the reality of airline operations. That said, you don't actually have to follow ETOPS rules in a sim, so you could just use the Triple Seven anyway, or just pretend you are making a military flight since they are exempt from ETOPS rules.

 

Last and possibly least, since you don't actually have to pay for fuel in a sim, is economy, the 777 is more economical to operate than the 747 (airframe maintenance overhaul stuff and TBO for engines etc), and it uses less fuel too, which could have a bearing on VA operations in your sim, or if you use things like FS Passengers or Air Hauler, where you actually do have to pay for the fuel (in a simulated way of course).

[Hoang 108]

Good afternoon everyone,

 

I bought the NGX one year ago, and have been thinking about getting a plane to do long haul flights, and waited for the release of the 744 to choose between that or the triple 7. But I'm still unsure about which one to buy!

 

 

Cheers!

 

João Portugal

Hello and welcome,

 

I have both T7 and the Queen, they are all top quality products by PMDG. I have not flown the new Queen yet since I have been RTFM, but it is more challenging since not as automated as the T7.

 

In term of performance, with my system, the new Queen is heavier than the T7, VAS is the same but the FPS does go lower compare to T7.

With large airports by FSDT,Uk2000,Flytampa, I do not want to use it at the moment since FPS drop below 20 most of the time, trying to tweak little bit in my settings.

 

I am the guy that spent every single day merging PSS 777 with Posky models, Wilco A330 with CLS/Overland model years earlier. You can tell how desperate I was.

 

Bottom line it depends on personal taste, you will probably end up buying both of them eventually. If you don't fly them in real world, this is your opportunity to try them and know how they fly, don't miss it.

 

Cheers!

Hoang Le

 

/If there is a way I can buy PMDG MD11 FSX box version now, I will. It is one of the key reason that I am staying with FSX. More or less, PMDG gave me the chance to know how the tri-jet flies, to me it is one of the most beautiful aircraft and most challenging to hand fly.

[achutchison 26]

I think the FBW trim is poorly implemented in the 777, the plane randomly jumps to maintain the speed you've trimmed it for(or i've got a bug in my sim/i'm doing something wrong) however the 744 is a joy to fly!

[pete_auau 1,152]

 

 

I think the FBW trim is poorly implemented in the 777, the plane randomly jumps to maintain the speed you've trimmed it for(or i've got a bug in my sim/i'm doing something wrong) however the 744 is a joy to fly!

 

If  you think  it  poorly  implemented  than i suggest  you submit  a support  ticket  in  since   its been  fixed  in the last  update  of  the t7

[CPT747 1]

Only 2 engines or 4 engines,that is your choice.

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

If you do not mind the differences between the two aircraft types, then the B747 is an even more advanced piece of simulation: Smoother experience if fps should be low, more custom visual and dynamic effects, realistic ground friction model, and some (many) more.

 

So simulation-wise my recommendation is the B747. If for some reason the B777 is the aircraft type that attracts you more, then the PMDG B777 is the way to go. Neither one will disappoint you.

[MindYerBeak 73]

777 imo.

[achutchison 26]

If  you think  it  poorly  implemented  than i suggest  you submit  a support  ticket  in  since   its been  fixed  in the last  update  of  the t7

If the real 777 jumps around like a jackrabbit to maintain airspeed then i've got no complaints. If theres something I can do to fix it then please tell me. (yes i've got the latest version/my controls are set up correctly through fsuipc)

[Captain Kevin 586]

Can't help you there, as I only have the Boeing 747-400 with no experience with the 777. Do keep in mind, though, that the only two options available at the moment for the 777 are the -200LR and -300ER, the latter of which you'd have to purchase separately after getting the base -200LR. I personally haven't gotten the 777 as I'd prefer to fly the 777-200ER.

[Patco Lch 1,459]

No wrong answer here, they're both wonderful but the 747 just gives you more to do and play with. In my experience the 747 seems to give me better or smoother frame rates them T7. Also if real world routes are important to you I seem to find more747 flights under 6 hours with the 47.