best option for A320 in FS2004 in 2018/19?

[Bostar 7]

I want a A320 for the FS2004 and after read a lot of posts about this subject, the final conclusion I have is: there is no good A320 for FS9. All of them have serious problems: bugs, autopilot behaviour like a F16, unfinished features, etc...

So, as most of the post I've read have several years, I would like to ask you if, after all the patch/service packs published during this time, does it worth to buy one of these options?

+ Feelthere/Wilco Airbus Series Vol 1

+ Eric Marciano/Wilco Airbus Evolution Vol1

+ Airsimmer A320 Basic Edition

+ PSS/BlackBox Airbus 320 Professional

BTW I'm more interested in the simulation of the plane than the visuals. I'm not looking for setting up a merge with ProjectAirbus because I don't use too much the external views.

PD: FSX/P3D/Xplane aren't suitable for me 😞

Thank you!

Edited November 13, 2018 by Bostar

[mwilk 1,104]

The Airsimmer has been dead for years so there's no support for it at all.

[Chock 17,769]

I'd say go for the Black Box Simulations version (aka the PSS). It's inexpensive (less than ten quid) and for that price you get an A319, A320 and an A321. Although it's getting on a bit these days, it is worth remembering that it got 5 Stars when Avsim reviewed it back in the day and at that time it used to cost a hell of a lot more than ten quid to get all three versions of the Airbus family.

Although it's doubtful any changes or patches would ever be made for it now, it does nevertheless have an active developer (albeit one working on other stuff) whom you could contact about the thing too if you had perhaps an installation problem or some such. BBS have come in for a bit of stick from some people, but I've never had a problem with them and they were very quick to reply to me when I had a paypal issue with a purchase of one of their Airbus products (which was not their fault incidentally). 

Edited November 13, 2018 by Chock

[Jude Bradley 659]

The Wilco one was not bad for FS9, but I was happy with Airsimmer. 

I still have their site as a bookmark even now.(God knows why).

[mwilk 1,104]

2 hours ago, Jude Bradley said:

The Wilco one was not bad for FS9, but I was happy with Airsimmer. 

I still have their site as a bookmark even now.(God knows why).

The Airsimmer had so much potential but the developers could never get their act together.

[sascha 314]

I use the Wilco Airbus, but if you want systems fidelity, it's not for you.

[Luis Hernandez 566]

For FSX I use Wilco Airbus Evolution. For FS9 it's too buggy, so I use instead a merge of the Project Airbus model and FDE with the PSS panel.

[Bostar 7]

Thank you for your responses.

With all your comments and all the information I've gathered past days, in the end, in my humble opinion, my options are PSS/BlackBox or Wilco Airbus Vol1. I more biased to choose PSS option. As far I've understood, although Wilco/Feelthere version was published years later, and it has better visuals, it offers a more basic simulation than the venerable PSS product, doesn't it?

The Airsimmer option is very frustrating. I've heard/read so many interesting things about basic version. Some people claim that its system simulations are at the same level than Aerosoft Extended version (I can't confirm this point). But, at the same time, I've found terrible experiences. And finally, its actual price ($40) doesn't help.

Thank you for your time.

Regards

[sascha 314]

Can't offer an opinion on the PSS systems simularions, but the Wilco Airbus has decent visuals, especially with some freeware modification of the VC textures.

[LH629 0]

For me the best: a merge of project airbus and PSS airbus. On avsim you find the files . It flies very smart. You have a FMC. Only no VC. 

[david92211 0]

Although this is an older thread, still would like to add an opinion too. I own boxed version of Wilco Airbus volume 1 Deluxe (FS2004/FSX) since the release, and although it’s not perfect, it’s still in my opinion much better sim then the PSS Airbus Professional FS2004 version which I bought just very recently from BlackBox as download; it was only €10 and includes many liveries and other stuff , however the plane seems inferior to the Wilco Airbus series in my opinion. Flight dynamics appear much worse, with steep banking turns, dives to ground and other odd behaviors. Maybe I need to fly it more often, but still. The graphics feel worse and more dated too, panel and displays graphics lacking quality of Wilco, just to name a few things. After reading forums, I also test merged PSS panels etc with Project Airbus, no winner either. Since I got back to flying FS9 recently because I enjoy 2D panels among other things such as perfect smoothness with sim maxed out and with add-on on todays even less then average average hardware ( contrary to maxed out FSX, P3Dv4, not to mention ridiculously hardware hungry and unbelievably buggy MSFS). Wilco airbus has quirks, but you can work around them with some practice. I don’t have the evolution version, but will probably get at least the volume 2 in evolution package to see if the improvements were made compared to regular non-evo version of my series. If anyone can recommend some better version of FS2004 airbus, I’d check it out. I’m not an real Airbus pilot naturally to judge objectively . But how many of us are?
 

….just my 2 cents.

Core I7@3.5GHz, 16GB RAM, nVidia 660Ti 2GB RAM, regular HDD, Win10Pro