Airbus add-ons (A320 series)

[DracoLlasa 0]

Hi guys

Sorry if this is not the right place to post, i could not for the life of me figure out where to put a general cross product addon aircraft question lol

I have already purchased and have started learning the FSLabs A320-X and love it. I intentionally chose it for its high quality and attention to detail. I know it has its issues but they are being worked on. That said i got an email today about the Aerosoft 20% off sale on their A318/319/320/321 products. Now from what i understand the aerosoft products are good in their own right, but not at the level of the FSLabs unit. That said seeing it really got me to think about the differences.

So i have come here to ask, for a general FS Enthusiast, are their any significant technology or functionality differences? i know they are different sized aircraft so they will have different flight profiles and such, but putting the flight profile and different engine types aside.. if im sitting in the virtual cockpit of a the Aerosoft modeled (EFIS/ADIRS equipped) A318/9 or A321.. is there anything really different than what would be in the A320. I mean assuming i didnt have the FSLabs A320.. if you are jst sitting in the cockpit of the Aerosoft A319, is there things you added or removed that would still make someone want the 320/321 ? Or does it come down to those items i mentioned like the different flight profiles, engines and such. 

[virtualstuff 758]

Aerosoft stuff is nice only basic system stuff and from the captain perspective (left seat) so no separated settings between the left and right seat.

Some things are unfortunately not simulated correct in the Bus... So if you are a casual simmer it's a nice fleet. but nowhere near the system level of the FSLABS bus.

So it depends in the end what you looking for, but once you have enjoyed all those little details in the FSLABS bus, it's difficult for me to enjoy other airbus stuff.

But on the other hand if you want something quick to fly and to enjoy the bus flightdeck then it's a great alternative...

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

Connected Flight Deck (Shared Cockpit).  Plus there is a major update coming to Aerosoft's Airbus sometime after the release of their A330.

 

[busdriver 258]

As an airbus captain, I can suggest the FSLabs A320 if you are looking for that level of detail in the sim. Otherwise, the Aerosoft stuff is a good introduction.

Hope this is helpful!

[Chock 17,769]

As far as differences are concerned on the real aircraft, there are so few differences between the A320 and the 321 that they use the same SOP manual and you'd be hard pressed to tell which one you were in much of the time. Anything significantly different is of course noted in the SOP, so it includes things like the following:

In the landing procedures, the SOP notes that in an A320, you'll risk a tail strike if you flare beyond an angle of 13.5 degrees, whereas in an A321, you'll risk a tailstrike if you flare beyond 11.2 degrees. This of course is common sense really, since an A321 is nearly 23 feet longer than an A320.

Of course being that an A318 is about 20 feet shorter than an A320 and an A319 is 12 feet shorter, theoretically you could flare those a bit more than 13.5 degrees, but it is unlikely that you would, so it's less of an issue with those things, but they too are very similar in the cockpit, so it would be something which is noted in SOPs along with stuff like different turning circles for ground handling etc.

All of this is very similar to the 737 series, where the same issues occur between the 600, 700, 800 and 900 series, with similar cockpits but also similar variable risks of a tail strike at different flare angles.

As far as the FSL versus the Aerosoft A320 is concerned, most of the differences are at the 'nerd level', i.e. everything in the FSL one is covered (i.e. if you want to simulate bits falling off and different FBW laws, then the FSL will do that, but the Aerosoft one is more about normal operations).

[RALF9636 1,951]

2 hours ago, DracoLlasa said:

Hi guys

Sorry if this is not the right place to post, i could not for the life of me figure out where to put a general cross product addon aircraft question lol

I have already purchased and have started learning the FSLabs A320-X and love it. I intentionally chose it for its high quality and attention to detail. I know it has its issues but they are being worked on. That said i got an email today about the Aerosoft 20% off sale on their A318/319/320/321 products. Now from what i understand the aerosoft products are good in their own right, but not at the level of the FSLabs unit. That said seeing it really got me to think about the differences.

So i have come here to ask, for a general FS Enthusiast, are their any significant technology or functionality differences? i know they are different sized aircraft so they will have different flight profiles and such, but putting the flight profile and different engine types aside.. if im sitting in the virtual cockpit of a the Aerosoft modeled (EFIS/ADIRS equipped) A318/9 or A321.. is there anything really different than what would be in the A320. I mean assuming i didnt have the FSLabs A320.. if you are jst sitting in the cockpit of the Aerosoft A319, is there things you added or removed that would still make someone want the 320/321 ? Or does it come down to those items i mentioned like the different flight profiles, engines and such. 

If I understand you correctly you don't want to compare FSLabs to Aerosoft here but want to know if it has any benefit for you to get the A318, A319 and A321 when you already have the A320.

I have them all (Aerosoft only) and I would say yes!

The cockpits look exactly the same and all the cockpit functions are alike in all four Aerosoft Buses (except for a steep descent feature in the A318 which the others do not have). That - like in the real world - has the great advantage that you can easily fly all of them without learning everything new for a new model.

There are differences in the handling that are quite noticable though - due to different weights, engine power and fuselage length. That affects for example the taxi behaviour around sharp turns (the A321 is 13 meters longer than the A318) as well as the handling when handflying, in particular in the flare. You have to get a feel for each of them. When I have flown the A320 for some time my first few landings with the A319 won't be as good until I get adapted again to the different behaviour. Vapp for the A318 can be below 130 kts whereas it can be up to 160 kts for the A321. And you really have to be aware of the tailstrike risk with the A321.

After all I enjoy having all four of them - each one is a different experience.

 

[vc10man 732]

Well put,Al, as I have been sitting on the fence re: the FSL A320. Already have the Aerosoft versions, so that will do for me.Besides, cannot really justify the outlay no mater how realistic the FSL version is as I'm far too occupied flying the newly-acquired QOTS II

[DracoLlasa 0]

Thanks.. yea its not really that im looking to compare the products as i am really comparing the cockpit and aircraft functionality.. before starting this thread i had no intention on purchasing the aerosoft products.. i was really just curious if there were any features that would make things interesting/different.

I am not experienced enough to notice differences with taxi handling or certain types of flight handling like the flare you mentioned. I am in no way saying they arent important, just to me.. im not quite there yet so they arent as important to me.

From what i gather the cockpits are pretty much the same, the 318 has the steep descent feature.

So basically it would be like getting in a Ford F150, 250, 350 etc pickup truck... each one is bigger and more powerful, but from the driver seat, things all look and "in general' function the same, yea?

[RALF9636 1,951]

46 minutes ago, DracoLlasa said:

... but from the driver seat, things all look and "in general' function the same, yea?

Yes. If you want to have different cockpit layouts you have to move away from Airbus.

[DracoLlasa 0]

NP, thanks guys..

I already have the 737 and 777 from PMDG and love them, i will get the new 747 at some point but i have my hands full with these.. besides i have found a strange love in the Majestic Q400 recently...