Hi,I have brought many GA aircraft from Dreamfleet and Flight 1, and was wondering how FSD compare with F1 and Dreamfleet aircraft. I am specifically looking at the Seneca.thanksKeith

Do a search on FSD,read ALL the post's pertaining to customer service, re downloading product's etc.

I have the Seneca and I really like it, although it hasn't flown much since the Dreamfleet Bonanza and Baron came out. I also have their Piper Navajo, Commander, and Cessna Skymaster. They're all great planes. Others have had issues with FSD's support, but I have not had any problems. They're generally responsive on their forum.Jim

I've got the Seneca, the Commander, the Cessna 337 and the Porter. I was actually quite disapppointed with the Seneca because I didn't think the VC was very good at all, particularly from the pilot's viewpoint and, to me, this is the most important aspect in a plane. The others are excellent in every way and I'm thinking of getting the Navajo. I've never had any problem with their support.

I own a ton of planes and just recently got their Navajo Panther. I was not expecting much but its became one of my favorite light twins. Very nice and a great vc to stay in and fly from.I have their Aerostar but need to reactivate it since I reinstalled windows. Thats when I will find out first hand about their customer service.

I second JIMJAM's sentiment on the Seneca above. This add-on was an FS2k2 release that's never been fully updated dispit many customer request (the ever present ills we see from some developers when a new version of FS is released). There are some switches that work but not many. A promised update was supposed to be in the works but that never materialized. I was very disappointed because the real world Seneca is a very nice aircraft.For those that don't care for VC's the Seneca is a wonderful add-on. Basically every other aspect of this add-on besides the VC is wonderfully done (2D panel, external model, FDE, etc) just like JIMJAM pointed out. The best aircraft to get from FSD would be the 'Piper Cheyenne 400 LS'... That aircraft was fully updated for FS2k4 and it's a wonderful release. I was looking at their new Lockheed Jetstar but after the Avante I'm a little leery. I'm a VC flyer and a stickler for VC night lighting. The Avante's cabin area is pitch black at night (the VC wasn't well lite either) unlike what you'd see from DreamFleet and/or Eaglesoft's offerings.If you get a chance check out Eaglesoft's birds which are from another great producer of GA aircraft. JIMJAM do get the Navajo when you get the chance, it's a great bird all around (VC included)... :-)

Guys:Just a clarification.. the Seneca will indeed be updates to new standards with many new VC enhancements. The question is when.. at this point I do not know.. We are finishing the Jetstar and then I also have to finish the MU2.. by that time I suppose FSX will be out and the new Seneca will be available.BestJimFSD

I have the FSD PC-6 Porter, Piper Navajo Panther, Cessna 337, and just recently bought the Piaggio P.180 Avanti. I'm very satisfied with all four of the purchases, with the 337 (I think) being the best of the bunch. The Porter is a really fun bush plane, the Navajo's a great twin-engine workhorse, and the Avanti's just...uh...different. But the Skymaster in particular, IMO, is competitive with anything out there right now. It has the best VC that FSD has ever done (again IMO), great flight dynamics, looks really sharp all around, and comes with two variations (normally aspirated 337D and pressurized/turbo 337H).I can't speak specifically to the Seneca, but I'm pleased with all the purchases I've made from FSD in the past and will be keeping an eye on their newer stuff coming up (the Jetstar, MU-2, and Hawker 125). And if they do ever freshen the Seneca up for FS2004/FSX, I'll definitely look at buying it.Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

I like the Seneca very much - it's a pleasure to fly. I don't use the VC at all, so its relative merits aren't important to me.DJ

I have the Commander, Seneca, Cheyenne and Panther. As far as quality add-on's, their peers are Dreamfleet, Realair, Eaglesoft, Aerowinc and Flight1 IMHO. The Cheyenne is one of my favorite aircraft. FSD has been a pioneer with many features considered standard today. I know there are a few simmers who have had problems with FSD's customer support, but I'm not one of them. My observation has been that their tolerance for impolite and angry request is lower than most. :) I remember a couple of years ago needing a new key for a re-install (bought a new computer) and sent the request in on a holiday weekend. Tim sent me back a key within the hour. I'm sure I happened to catch him between the barbie and the pool, but I always remember his responsiveness. Hope this helps.Bob...

>Do a search on FSD,read ALL the post's pertaining to customer>service, re downloading product's etc.There are all kinds of examples of developer bashing (not just FSD) that can be found on this forum, along with other examples of childish people (my opinion) who like to create a public furror over what should be private matters. Any resonable person takes them with a grain of salt. If you only hear one side of a story you rarely receive anything even close to reality.As far as the quality goes they are definately on a par with Dreamfleet and the best developers out there. Not a huge Seneca fan myself, but the Navajo is the bomb. I amsolutely love it. I'm going to check into the Porter ski version this weekend I think.

Well, first of all I am not sure anybody quite comes up to the standards of "Dreamfleet and Flight 1" for the combination of the quality of their products plus their excellent service. If you can remember your email address, just about anything is recoverable from these fine folks with no additional cost.As someone has said, there are those that have complained about service from FSD, however I am happy to be able to say that I am not one of them. So far, they have been very helpful to me.I have the Cheyenne 400, Porter, and Navajo Panther and am reasonably pleased with all of them.One thing you may want to consider: FSD has just come out with a newer version of the Porter for an additional cost which is supposedly guranteed to be FSX compatible. I don't know whether they intend to do the same thing with their other products or not. They did divide up the different applications (Amphb, Ski, etc.) as I understand with separate costly purchases which I think leaves something to be desired. I would be somewhat inclined to hold up and see what developes if you intend to upgrade to FSX. If it was me, I would be somewhat disappointed to purchase the present version of one of their product to find out in just a few weeks they came out with an upgraded version for which they want more money. Something about this just doesn't set well with me, but it probably should. (Senior Senility I guess). Good luck with your decision:RTH1585368CFIEdit: After rereading my reply, I got the thought that someone might interpret what I have said as bashing FSD in some way. Please know that nothing of the kind is intended and I think they are a fine contributor to flight sim. It would be nice if like the earlier versions of FS, for most addon's free upgrades were provided during the following weeks for addons. However, I fully realize that the work required particularly for the more complex addon's negates this probability for most products. It will be interesting to see what developes as we evolve into the next generation of flightsim. I just hope that it is somewhat affordable. We shall see what we shall see.Respectfully:RTH

Hello Charles:I assume you are aware of the new version of the Porter that just came out.Happy flying:RTH

I have all the FSD aircraft except the lastest Porter update and the O-2A version of the Skymaster.On the time line continum, you can see the improvement of newer aircraft over the earlier models - just as you can see with Dreamfleet and all other modelers.My most common fliers are the C-337, Cdr-115, Cheyenne 400LS, and the Avanti. I find all very friendly in the VC and in the 2D cockpit and quite good. Never really had an issue with the Avanti at night - but mine looks a lot at night like the real ones I've seen. Not the brightest cockpit around.But the 337 is better than the others, simply because it is newer.When I have to do a major rebuild / re-install, or build a new computer - the FSD support has always been efficient and helpful. A number of times they've sent me a link to an updated installer for the aircraft.I also have to do the same thing with all my Flight1 products. Sometimes it's hard to remember the old credit card numbers - but their support is again efficient and helpful.Now a word about compatibility and version forwarding.I would be absolutely shocked to see FSD create free updates for those of us who purchased the Commander, Cheyenne, and Seneca back in the FS2002 days.I bought these FS2002 products, before FS2004 was more than a wish to most folks. I've been appreciative of their update and support.But just take the example of the Seneca VC. To change and improve that is an almost complete rebuild and redesign of the model. It's an almost new aircraft.At some point these developers are going to have to obtain some compensation for the man hours and production costs to do the updates.Some of the addon aircraft folks might have a good idea by now what will be required for FSX. They might be able to plan their workload and costs now. Of course no one will be absolutely certain until FSX goes gold, for the first patch.I would have no hesitation purchasing a new FSD aircraft at this point.But should there be an issue with any developer's aircraft in FSX, and the developer did not advertise an update path for FSX - then that is MY CHOICE to buy the FS2004 product, not the developer's fault that it is not an FSX product.

I have the Seneca and it's a pleasure to fly. I really like FSD products. I don't use the VC at all, so that's not an issue with me, so I highly recommend that the Navajo and the Cheyenne. Pair the Seneca with the Reality-XP 530 GPS and you'll never fly another GA plane (A bit of an exageration, but you get the point). Go get your copy today! Personally, I can't wait for the MU-2!Tim