Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
windycloud

Need a new twin turbo...King Air or Cheyenne?

Recommended Posts

I'm looking for opinions on the Aeroworx King Air or the Digital Aviation Cheyenne, preferably from people who have both. The King Air is $10 less but is also about a year older, so I'm on the fence. I'd like to hear the virtues of both planes from actual owners.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest RiddlePilot

Owning both, I can honestly say you can't go wrong with either. As of this time though, there are no repaints available for the Cheyenne that I'm aware of, if that is something that would be of interest to you.I think that the Cheyenne wins in my book though based on a few factors. One is the superb VC. I'm not a VC pilot, but I must say this one is done with exceptional detail and usability. The sounds are top notch also. A common problem with turboprops is that there is no sound change when reducing the prop RPM. The King Air has this bug, but the Cheyenne has a noticable and proper change. The learning curve for the Trimble 2000 GPS is pretty steep in the Cheyenne. On a downside, alot of users are reporting sim crashes with the GPS unit. Hans Hartmann, the developer and of Flight 1 ATR fame, is a top notch programmer and has produced 2 service packs since the initial release to address minor and major issues. I don't think he plans on stopping until the package is near perfect. Another positive is the instant integration of the Reality XP WX500 radar unit, with the simple download of a modified panel.cfg file from the support website.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest dpc

I own both as well and can honestly say I prefer the King Air. Dave

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest RobertK

Really difficult to give one of those the advantage...I'm extremely happy with the two of them, both have very indepth systems simulation, though the maintenance module of the King Air is a very nice feature keeping you on your toes (it hurts when you gotta replace those engines after a hot start :) ).The Cheyenne, then again, has probably one of, if not the greatest cockpit (2D and 3D) out there, especially at night it is a sight to behold.Overall, the Cheyenne looks a bit more sophisticated in the gfx department, while both are the same regarding systems, with the King Air having that neat maintenance module.What I also love about the Cheyenne which the King Air does not have is that it has an Active Noise Reduction soundset (so in the inside you hear what a real pilot would hear when he is wearing an ANR headset - something most if not all prop drivers do).I've come across such sounds for the first time with the Beech A36 and really like the concept.Regards,Robert

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have both and both are very good.Nevertheless the Cheyenne is my favourite, becuase in the graphics department (2D & VC panel) it's better.Also (in general) I'm more attracted to a Cheyenne then a KA.


Location: Vleuten, The Netherlands, 15.7dme EHAM
System: AMD 7800X3D - X670 Mobo - RTX 4090 - 32GB 6000MHz DDR5 - Corsair RM1000x PSU - 2 x 2TB SSD - 32" 1440p Display - Windows 11

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest CowlFlapsOpen

Own the King Air and have never looked back. Just faboulous. Don't have the Cheyenne. However, one thing to consider is the support and community connected to the aeroworx. The ship comes with two fabulous tutorial flghts that highlight different subtlties in how to fly the plane and there is a very active and responsive forum community dedicated to the aeroworx. If you have a question they wil bend over backwards to help you. Moreover, the pilot of the real world model for the sim plane hangs out there to answer questions, sare his flight plans in the eal world, share photos, and chat. 2-3 other real world B200 pilots and mechanics also contribute almost daily. Honestly the forum and community was a big part of my enjoyment of the plane, especially when i was trying to master her. Don't know anything about the Cheyenne in this regard. One thing to note is thatthere are very few support questions about the B200 posted here, which I think reflects how readily folks get their questions answered by the developer. Wecan't say that about some other companies, who I will not mention. If you want a friendly and lively community dedicated to your specific aircraft, can't go wrong with Aeroworx.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Also have both aircrafts... Both amazing. Difficult choice. I say take both !!- Great support for both addons.- Manuals and tutos - Aeroworx- Ext model - DA Piper wins. Utterly fantastic. Plus you have 4 models (I,IA,II and IIXL).- 2D - Both greath- VC - DA Piper again... and the gauges are silky smooth. - Sounds - DA Piper... the variations on pitch are fantastic. Plus you got the active reduction sound set. Just neat!- Systems - Both amazing- Flight model - both amazing...- Goodies - Oh boy, U gotta see those wipers animations on the Piper Cheyenne !- Aeroworx maintenance module is a great and unique addition- DA Piper Trimble GPS is so nice !


Best regards, Fritz ESSONO

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have both and love them all. At this point I still prefer the Kingair but that may be because I haven't spent much time in the Cheyenne yet. After a few patches the Cheyenne is getting close to being flawless. I think it really depends on with aircraft you prefer because both addons are absolutely excellent reproduction of their realworld counterparts. On that topic I like Kingairs better.Jason


Jason

FAA CPL SEL MEL IR CFI-I MEI AGI

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the responses. You guys haven't made it any easier, and it still sounds like it's a difficult choice as both are very nice. :D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey Neil, If you can afford to do it, just get both. The technology in the design seems diferent when the cheyenne was delveloped. These are two diferent animals of aircraft, and are both top in the class they are in in every aspect. I think you will enjoy both. The problem you will face is, which one to fly at any given moment. Good luck with your decision.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest VAA_008

I got both and I would say I like the King Air better. There is that something in the 2D cockpit of the Cheyenne, feels like you are jammed against the windows and outside views from inside the 2D cockpit are not great but hey, that's just my opinion.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest ThrottleUp

Thanks for posting this topic question. I too am considering which one to get. I think Im gonna go for the Piper!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think I'll have to give a slight edge to the Aeroworx King Air 200. The Cheyenne is nice, no question, but the King Air just has that certain "light/heavy" feeling about it that is present in the real-world aircraft - I know this because I fly a King Air in real life.. though I fly the King Air C90GT - not the King Air 200 (they both handle very similarly in real life, though) The B200 is an absolute joy to fly on medium routes (2hrs or less)The Cheyenne DOES have a truly remarkable graphics both inside and out... but then so does the King Air! There are more repaints readily available for the King Air and they do have a very detailed paint kit as well.Performance-wise, though, I get better frames out of the King Air than I do with the Cheyenne. The Cheyenne is just a bit "choppier" in both the VC and 2D cockpits - and I have a pretty robust system! The King Air has always run as smooth as silk for me - no matter where I fly it! I haven't updated the Cheyenne with the latest SP, so I don't know if there is any kind of performance optimization that comes from it.I have modified my Aeroworx King Air with a few Reality XP avionics and I am quite pleased with how it does... I have added dual Garmins (both a GNS530 & GNS430, complete with crossfill) as well as replacing the original EADI and EHSI with the Jet Line 2 gauges. I removed the WX unit from the panel, but still have it in the RXP drop-stack, along with the Sandel ST3400 for terrain avoidance.Regarding the sound comparison between the two...The Cheyenne soundset is, without a doubt, fabulous - and I do love the pitch change that comes from reducing RPMs... this was seriously lacking in the Aeroworx B200 soundset. To compensate, I replaced the Aeroworx sounds with the default King Air 350 sounds (and using a slightly modified CFG file I downloaded here on Avsim) Believe it or not, The default King Air 350 sounds are actually MORE realistic than the sounds that come with the Aeroworx B200 (especially the start-up sounds!) BUT... by using the default KA 350 sounds, you can ALSO get that reduction in pitch when reducing RPM's! Honestly, though... I love BOTH aircraft (which is why I own both) and will say that you can't go wrong with either one!Aeroworx is currently working to make the King Air 200 FSX compatible so that we'll all be able to enjoy it as soon as possible after the release of FSX. I don't know for sure if Digital Aviation is doing the same with the Cheyenne, but I imagine they are...Take the plunge and invest in both! You won't regret it!Happy Flying!Alex

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You have heard it before: get both! :)They are both fantastic airplanes and very rewarding to fly. If I had to choose it would be the Cheyenne though because I use TrackIR and it has a fabulous VC. The King Air also has a great great VC, but the Cheyenne it just sliiightly better. This is a short video I captured that might give you some understanding of what it looks like: http://www.alcom.aland.fi/kitte/pmdg/cheyenne2.wmv


Krister Lindén
EFMA, Finland
------------------
 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

  • Tom Allensworth,
    Founder of AVSIM Online


  • Flight Simulation's Premier Resource!

    AVSIM is a free service to the flight simulation community. AVSIM is staffed completely by volunteers and all funds donated to AVSIM go directly back to supporting the community. Your donation here helps to pay our bandwidth costs, emergency funding, and other general costs that crop up from time to time. Thank you for your support!

    Click here for more information and to see all donations year to date.
×
×
  • Create New...