Hello

I have been flying the Carenado B1900D for my virtual passengers for the past year and find the 19 seat capacity is no longer sufficient and would like to find something larger but not ready for the 737 just yet. Am looking for something that can hold between 50 to 100 passengers, has a bit more depth than Carenado either prop or jet but will not take me an age to learn how to set up and fly. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Many thanks

 

You just speced out the Majestic Dash 8 Q400?

A2A Constellation or B377 if you are into props.  Both have a learning curve that is not as steep as PMDG craft but are still challenges to fly from a cold and dark setup. Both are beautifully modeled and quite popular.

 

If you want something simple and inexpensive, you may want to consider looking at Virtualcol's stuff, for example their ATR-42/72. The VCs on Virtualcol's stuff aren't the prettiest however (some better than others) so check out screenshots of those before making a decision. The external models are great though, and you get a lot of value for money in terms of included variants, for example, their Canadair Regional Jet package includes four CRJ models (200/700/900/1000) and includes about 100 different liveries, which for a price of less than 20 quid, is a real bargain. On the plus side too for Virtualcol's stuff is that they are easy to fly, have fairly okay avionics which can fly a default FS flight plan easily, and they get stellar frame rates on even a modest system:

https://www.virtualcol.com/products.php?kcmdlnk=catalogo

For a bit more avionics realism, you might want to check out some of the Just Flight airliners such as the deHavilland Dove, HS.748, Fokker F.27 Friendship, all of which are fairly realistic in terms of avionics, but easy to fly and with manuals which will get you in the air quickly. Those three I mentioned are all currently discounted, where they all cost less than 13 quid each and the Dove is currently only 6 quid, which is a real bargain. They all work in FSX, FSX-SE and all versions of P3D too:

https://www.justflight.com/category/christmas-sale-2017

If you want to go complex but not spend ages learning that complexity. The absolute best value, and most realistic aircraft which fits your criteria is the Majestic Dash 8 Q400. It runs well on modest systems and whilst it is more expensive than the above less complex add-ons I suggested, it is a very realistic simulation of the real thing, and has a good claim to being the most realistic airliner you can get for either FSX or P3D (and yes, I am including the FSL A320 and all those PMDG aeroplanes too in that opinion). But being that it is not a jet airliner, rather a regional turboprop intended to make fast turnarounds between flights, it is not complex to learn/operate in comparison to for example, a 737 or an A320. You will be impressed, trust me:

http://majesticsoftware.com/mjc8q400/index.html

For something a bit more old school, PMDG's DC-6 is worth considering. It has an automated crew which can help you learn it quickly (this is optional, you can turn all that stuff off if you like). It also happens to be a bit cheaper than most other PMDG add-ons:

http://www.precisionmanuals.com/pages/product/FSX/dc6.html

If you prefer a slightly simpler 'old banger', then the Flight Replicas DC-4 is worth checking out. It includes numerous unusual variants of the DC-4, so it's good fun in that respect and is cheaper than the PMDG DC-6:

http://flight-replicas.com/

 

 

I would echo Adrian's recommendation for the Majestic Q400. Or the A2A propliners for a totally different vintage experience.

Majestic is one of the best out there. I’d take a look at that one 

I would agree with many of the suggestions already made, particularly the Majestic Q400. Am just a little surprised however that no one has mentioned the Aerosoft CRJ700/900 as another option.

Bill

FeelThere Embraer ERJ series might be worth a look for small jets that require a bit of learning but are by no means complex.

Thank you so much for the recommendations, I thought I would let you know I have decided on two. One classic one and a modern day one. The HS748 Propliner and the Majestic Dash 8 Q400

 

You'll really like the Q400.  I just purhased last month.  It takes a little while of tutorials or manuals skimming but worth it.  What I found particularly impressive was the frame rate - with all that glass I almost see fps the same as default Mooney bravo 

Two great choices. Have fun!