I have about $150.00 to buy a payware airplane. I am using P3DV4.X the latest version...I haven't purchased any PMDG aircraft for P3Dv4, but did purchase all the PMDG aircraft for FSX...At the moment, I am using other brands, but not totally satisfied with them...I am toying between a "new" airbus from another company or  the PMDG 747..."Queen of the sky" base for $136, I believe...

If someone can convince me why I should buy PMDG product over other brands in a couple of hours from now, I will purchase the PMDG. This might sound silly, but I need some "frank" opinions...

Edited March 27, 20197 yr by hornplayer
correct wording...

I'd buy the iFly. I don't think that PMDG addons are so much better than alternatives that paying much more than twice as much for them is even remotely worth it. I have the NGX and the T7 base packs (bought the NGX twice!). But that's it, I'm done with PMDG unless they change their pricing philosophy. I don't mind paying a premium for superior addons but PMDG are no longer alone at the top of pile of the best aircraft developers. There are others. You can fly the Maddog for about $70 or the TFDI 717 for $60.

I think that since Prepar3D came on the scene PMDG decided to take that as an opportunity to gouge the word not allowed out of us with their "legal implications" blah blah blah, "Boeing licencing costs" blah blah blah, Liability blah, blah, blah.

Well the Horizon Q400 incident was almost 8 months ago and I don't see Majestic being named in any lawsuits. And correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the TFDi 717 is a Boeing licensed addon.

But the real give away that PMDG are gouging is the price of the NGX. It was released in august of 2011. That's eight and half years ago and its still a whopping $90. I'd buy XP11 and fly the Zibo.

I know that TFDi have sales, The Q400 can be got on sale. Don't know about the Leonardo. But PMDG never have and probable never will have a sale.

Despite the quality of their addons I don't think they are deserving of this communities support and as the addons of other developers emerge as being on par with PMDG but are priced reasonable, I think the chickens will come home to roost for PMDG.

So my suggestion is no don't buy it. buy the ifly 747!

Oh and forgot to mention the iFly 747 is $60 for basically the equivalent of the PMDG + expansion pack. So that's $60 v's $210

 

Edited March 27, 20197 yr by Guest

@hornplayer: I may be reading between the lines, personally, I have both the PMDG 747 (+8 expansion) as well as the FSL 320 (+ 319 expansion). They're both excellent. They also, at least for me, serve different purposes.

The Airbuses fit well with my VA and offer many shorter hop opportunities. This naturally gives me more "hands-on" with the aircraft.

The PMDG QOTS is by definition a long haul aircraft. It doesn't fit into my VA and as such I only use it for cargo ops. (There are still many airports the -8 expansion won't fit into gates without mods to the AFCAD...not a problem for the base model.)

Night lighting for the FSL is better, in my opinion vs, the PMDG...others have created better effects with the FSL Spotlights add-on.

Again, for me, both aircraft are excellent, just very different. It will come down to personal choice.

 

EDIT:

Dave has raised some very valid points in his post above! I just wanted to add...after 30+ years of flight simulation, don't rush yourself into an "impulse buy"...you'll more than likely end up regretting it.

Edited March 27, 20197 yr by rmeier

I appreciate both opinions...I have been on Sim's from day one...I am now 80 years old and still enjoy the hobby...I have also done some controlling on Vatsim...

Get the iFly.  And with the savings, you could pick up another jet.

U will save a few bucks and then u may find that product is not up to ur expectations, so my golden rule is 'get what is best available' 

26 minutes ago, Beardyman said:

U will save a few bucks and then u may find that product is not up to ur expectations, so my golden rule is 'get what is best available' 

 

Exactly. Half the price and get half the product. 

Some very refreshing attitudes in this thread, rather than the usual blind worship of PMDG. I agree with them, for $150 of a PMDG P3D QOTSII you could get TWO good addons from other developers.

Besides, the 747 has limited flights you can realistically do with it, mostly longhaul. Something like iFly 737NG,  CS 757 or Maddog is a lot more versatile (from 200 miles to 3500+ miles). And they're all still "study level" products. And cheaper.

Edited March 27, 20197 yr by ckyliu

Since the iFly jets are sold through Flight1, you have 30 days to decide whether that scratches the itch.  If you have the PMDG jets in FSX, then you already know what to expect there, and have a good basis for comparison.

FWIW, I bought both the iFly 737, when it was the only one available, and then the PMDG 737NGX later, and ultimately ended up shelving the iFly version.

Agree with the comments above that the FSL Scarebus and the PMDG 747 are not just different add-ons, but massively different kinds of flying.  The 747 is hard to fit into many airports and flights are generally much longer (but don't have to be with acceleration or a repositioning program).  The good news is that nothing's stopping you from adding another option later...you're not marrying the things, after all!  😉

Another consideration is the ability to use what has become one of my favorite tools--one or more remote FMS CDUs running on an iPad or other tablet using RemoteCDU.  The PMDG jets all support that, and it's really nice having a touch-screen FMS display that doesn't require panning the big screen or a pop-up.  FSL's bus has a built-in web-server that does that, but I've found it to be pretty flaky and unreliable.  iFly add-ons don't have that option.

Regards

7 hours ago, Beardyman said:

U will save a few bucks and then u may find that product is not up to ur expectations, so my golden rule is 'get what is best available' 

 

6 hours ago, Raging Bull said:

Exactly. Half the price and get half the product. 

 

This garbage yet again?   Here, have a read from a real 747 pilot:

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/547479-i-fly-747-8-just-released/?do=findComment&comment=3948757

It's more like half the price, double the product since you get the -8 for free.

Edited March 27, 20197 yr by Greggy_D

Thanks for the link, Greggy. That was a good read.

I have both: iFly and PMDG. The differences to me are mainly esthetics. I feel the PMDG looks better. I'm not hard-core enough to know the differences otherwise.

One other point as mentioned above: it is a really big aircraft. The size somewhat dictates what you do with it. You could get the iFly and then have enough left over to get an A2A single engine to do some GA flying. The Bonanza is really sweet.

Have fun!

On 3/27/2019 at 8:59 AM, Avidean said:

Despite the quality of their addons I don't think they are deserving of this communities support and as the addons of other developers emerge as being on par with PMDG but are priced reasonable, I think the chickens will come home to roost for PMDG.

Who hurt you...?

Something I said?

1 hour ago, scandinavian13 said:

Who hurt you...?

Something I said?

Uh, Look, a little bit of ad hominem. That's when you know you are getting a little close to the bone! 😁

Well as the old refrain goes, "You can fool some of the people all the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

Don't get me wrong PMDG birds are among the best but come on you knew they are way over priced. But you can get whatever price the market will bare. It's always been that way. But we live in an age when the sum of the people you can fool all of the time in a sizeable majority and if you're not in the business of making money your not in business. I guess the market segment you can't fool all of the time is to small for PMDG and other extremely profitable companies (Nvidia is another good example) to bother with.

But I have to call it when I see 'the emperor has no cloths'.

 

EDIT: Since you asked i think it was paying full price for the NGX twice that woke me! I know that left a nasty taste in a lot of simmers mouths. I can just imagine how those who are switching over form FSX now feel if they fly all three PMDG Boeing. I'd be inclined to say for many that is the sole reason they haven't switched over and it would be better for the community at large if they did. So that obstacle is greatly thanks to PMDG's pricing philosophy too. 😉

Edited March 28, 20197 yr by Guest

6 minutes ago, Avidean said:

Uh, Look, a little bit of ad hominem. That's when you know you are getting a little close to the bone! 😁

Not quite. A bit of ad hom, I won't deny that, but the way the initial post was written, it seems less like a rational and reasoned, fact-based approach, and more of a hit piece.

I mean, really...this is all one needs to see:

On 3/27/2019 at 8:59 AM, Avidean said:

I think that since Prepar3D came on the scene PMDG decided to take that as an opportunity to gouge the word not allowed out of us with their "legal implications" blah blah blah, "Boeing licencing costs" blah blah blah, Liability blah, blah, blah.

That's an argument from (and to) emotion, and only really serves to undermine any actual point.

9 minutes ago, Avidean said:

But I have to call it when I see 'the emperor has no cloths'.

Clothes*

...but I'm not sure how this metaphor fits.

Kyle, look I know it's your job to defend and promote PMDG. If the best defense you are making on behalf of PMDG against my point is to correct my spelling mistake, then I think that will look bad to an impartial jury. I'll explain the metaphor. The product is clothed in a value for money narrative. The product has no clothes i.e. no value for money.

It is a fact that the PMDG 747 + expansion pack is $210 and a fact that the ifly 747 which is about equivalent and is $60.

It is a fact that the posts linked above to comments made by a real life 747 captain rated both PMDG and the iFly more or less on a par regarding their fidelity to the real thing.

The OP asked a question and I believe he will be happy with the responses he got. I gave him my opinion. As did others. It's not a hit piece. I have several study aircraft including the NGX and PMDG777. Enough to keep me busy for years. That's why I have not purchased a 747. Frankly, if my decision was based on preference alone I would probably buy the PMDG 747. But I am not going too. Purely, for novelty at some point sooner than I need another study level aircraft I'll probably buy one. And as things stand right now it will be the iFly. It will likely be an impulse buy as a result of it being on sale! Hint.

Simply based on price for the average simmer i.e. most, the iFly is a no brainer. IMHO I am sure the PMDG 747 is fantastic and I know the 737 and 777 are fantastic but they are way over priced. There are plenty of far better informed simmers than me that say the iFly is just as fantastic.

No offense intended but I think PMDG are engaged in the practice gouging.

Edited March 28, 20197 yr by Guest