Not sure EADS would like us calling the A318 'the short bus'. 😉

Edited August 18, 20187 yr by Chock

8 hours ago, Chock said:

Yup, it's typical and just like real life; you wait ages for a bus and then five of them all turn up at once!

Wondered how long before somebody cracked that oft-used line🤣

10 hours ago, Chock said:

Yup, it's typical and just like real life; you wait ages for a bus and then five of them all turn up at once!

Chock, you took the words right out of my mouth there!

Have the busses been updated to V4 yet?

6 minutes ago, warbirds said:

Have the busses been updated to V4 yet?

This one (or rather these ones, since it includes the 318,319,320 and 321) are the new V4.3 only version, but there are deals available to upgrade to this version if you have the older Aerosoft ones, as follows:

Airbus A318/A319 (Download or Box) = > Aerosoft A318/A319 professional (Download):  
29,98 € incl. 19% VAT (25,19 € ex VAT | Price incl. VAT may deviate depending on your local sales tax [VAT])

Airbus A320/A321 (Download or Box) = > Aerosoft A318/A319 professional (Download):  
29,98 € incl. 19% VAT (25,19 € ex VAT | Price incl. VAT may deviate depending on your local sales tax [VAT])

Aerosoft A320/A321 professional  (Download) = > Aerosoft A318/A319 professional (Download):  
29,98 € incl. 19% VAT (25,19 € ex VAT | Price incl. VAT may deviate depending on your local sales tax [VAT]) - not yet available!

Price-wise, it's actually not bad for the four aeroplanes you get if you buy the big bundle, since it is $97.19 in total if you just buy the lot, i.e. about 20 quid for each variant. They are genuinely different versions too, as opposed to four external models with the same cockpit, for example, the A318 has the steep approach switch on the overhead and the requisite changes related to that.

They also appear to be the first new add-on aeroplane to be released which will be compatible with PMDG's Global Ops add-on, so they will presumably end up with a working ACARS system at some point. Of course they aren't as detailed as the FSL 'Bus when it comes to being able to model every failure under the sun, but for normal ops they are about as realistically simulated as you'd want them to be if you aren't bothered about simulating what to do when the wings start falling off or whatever.

Edited August 18, 20187 yr by Chock

The A330 is not coming this year. Everyone who believes this, has never set a foot in the Aerosoft forums obviously. 

48 minutes ago, officercrockey said:

The A330 is not coming this year. Everyone who believes this, has never set a foot in the Aerosoft forums obviously. 

That's made my day. 

There's more chance of an aerosoft product with a decent afcad then that 330 coming in 2018

Edited August 18, 20187 yr by tooting

2 hours ago, warbirds said:

Have the busses been updated to V4 yet?

They are, and there so accurate the managed descent is knackered. 

Pretty much stuck with the BBS A330 at the moment if you want a long haul 'Bus. It's not the best 'Bus simulation and there's all that 'prologue' nonsense too, but it is flyable at least and apart from the fact that it sits a bit nose down, the model is quite nice. A somewhat redeeming feature of the BBS Airbuses is the nice load/livery manager, which is good at what it does. It is worth noting too that I have found email support from BBS to be good despite a common perception that it isn't.

3 hours ago, Chock said:

…  apart from the fact that it sits a bit nose down, the model is quite nice.

This is the 'trademark' of the real A330 as well (and it wasn't planned). 

Btw, to achieve a level attitude on ground (easier cargo loading) the A330F has the blister under the nose to 'lengthen' the nose gear.   

Edited August 18, 20187 yr by J35OE

1 hour ago, J35OE said:

This is the 'trademark' of the real A330 as well (and it wasn't planned). 

Btw, to achieve a level attitude on ground (easier cargo loading) the A330F has the blister under the nose to 'lengthen' the nose gear.   

To some extent yes it does, but I work on the real Airbus A330 on a daily basis, loading and unloading AKEs into the front and rear holds and loose baggage into the rearmost hold, as well as servicing them with ground power and pushing them out for departure (both the 200 and 300 variants), so I'm used to looking at the things when marshaling them and chocking them etc. It doesn't tip down as much at the front as the BBS model does, which is why I mentioned it.

Here's a pic of one I was working on which I took the other week, and above it, the same angle of the BBS one in the sim. You can see the nose down attitude is a bit overdone on the BBS one in comparison to the real thing. Not by much, but enough so I noticed it when being so familiar with looking at the real thing a lot:

Edited August 18, 20187 yr by Chock

Are these Aerosoft aircraft "PMDG level" or more of a "light-weight" sim?

Also can the PFD/ MFD / FMC be undocked like with PMDG?

Edited August 18, 20187 yr by MatthewS

30 minutes ago, Chock said:

and chocking them

Alan, I finally got where your user name comes from. 🤗

26 minutes ago, MatthewS said:

Are these Aerosoft aircraft "PMDG level" or more of a "light-weight" sim?

Also can the PFD/ MFD / FMC be undocked like with PMDG?

Dunno why everyone ascribes 'PMDG level' as somehow being the pinnacle of flight sim add-ons. Yeah PMDG stuff is good, but frankly FSL's A320 and Majestic's Dash 8 are way more impressive products and even the iFly 737NG is capable of some things which the PMDG 737NG cannot do, and really, I think all the FS developers should regard A2A as the leaders when it comes to making stuff, owing to how prolific and varied they've been with producing top notch add-ons.

But back to the topic at hand, PMDG have never made an Airbus, so a more appropriate question might be: 'Are they FSL level?' and the answer is, nope, but they're not inferior, they just have a different focus (i.e. being more about typical operations than the ability to simulate every single fault an Airbus could ever suffer), and in fact the Aerosoft 'Bus includes some features the FSL 'Bus does not have.

Unless you are using your simulated Airbus to practice flying the real thing and have to know its systems intimately for check rides and such - in which case I'd recommend the FSL one - I would say the Aerosoft compares favourably with most other high end add-on airliners, but to answer the question to your own satisfaction, I'd look at the features list for the Aerosoft A320 Family Pro series and decide for yourself:

https://www.aerosoft.com/us/flight-simulation/prepar3d/aircraft/2435/a320-family-professional-bundle?c=1034

Edited August 18, 20187 yr by Chock

1 hour ago, Chock said:

Dunno why everyone ascribes 'PMDG level' as somehow being the pinnacle of flight sim add-ons. Yeah PMDG stuff is good, but frankly FSL's A320 and Majestic's Dash 8 are way more impressive products and even the iFly 737NG is capable of some things which the PMDG 737NG cannot do, besides which, PMDG have never made an Airbus.

I would say it compares favourably with most other high end add-on airliners, but to answer the question, I'd look at the features list for the Aerosoft A320 Family Pro series and decide for yourself:

https://www.aerosoft.com/us/flight-simulation/prepar3d/aircraft/2435/a320-family-professional-bundle?c=1034

 

I bought the Aerosoft Airbus a few years ago, can't remember what it was called "Advanced" or "X" something like that. It was good but I was not that impressed by it.

So this "Professional" version seems to be a completely new product !?

Oh, just had a look on Youtube.  The cockpit textures still look very "cartoony", no wing flex, no popup PFD, ND, the displays still look "low-res" compared to PMDG!

Frankly I'm not sure what has actually improved (visually) in the last 3 years.

Yes PMDG is still the "pinnacle of flight sim add-ons".

I'm a little disappointed from what I've seen so far on Youtube...

edit: Here's a good link to what's new...
http://forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?/forum/868-so-whats-new-in-this-version/

Maybe I'll find some hi-res screenshots, I guess Youtube is not best way to judge fidelity of the visuals.

edit: Seems like SP1 will have faster and popup PFD/ND
http://forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?/topic/133133-whats-not-available-whats-wrong/

edit: I might as well buy it, but I'll wait until SP1.

Edited August 19, 20187 yr by MatthewS