Which payware Piper product?

[Vox-tm 0]

Hi FSimmersI'm sure some of you own and have had some experience with the following payware aircraft for FS2004. I'd like to buy ONE of them, but I'd like to know which you folks is the best. Realistic flight characteristics and VC are the most important factors for me.Australian Simulation's Piper Warriorhttp://www.aussim.com.au/piper/Dreamfleet's Piper Archerhttp://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=archer01Piper Cherokee 180F by Carenadohttp://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=c180fWhat do you recommend?Thanks,Vox

[Guest jrboddie]

I own the Australian Warrior and Dreamfleet Archer. I have a PPL and trained in a Warrior. In my opinion, the Dreamfleet Archer has the more realistic flight characteristics.I recommend Dreamfleet.

[757FO 143]

The only Piper I have is the Carenado 180, which I flew during my PPL training... The flight model seems very close to the real thing IMO...John

[757FO 143]

The only Piper I have is the Carenado 180, which I flew during my PPL training... The flight model seems very close to the real thing IMO...John

[FlyingsCool 3]

As noted below, I own a 180, and was looking for a model which flew like it. I have all three + the Carenado Archer as well. My favorite is the 180F, but I get a slight fps hit in FS9 on my very slow machine. I get better performance for it in FSX. My second favorite is the Dreamfleet, which I find myself flying the most in FS, probably mostly because I redid the panel for it to match my plane first, and it is the smoothest of the two in FS9. That VERY slight fps hit is just enough to be noticeable for me. But if you have a reasonable machine, you probably won't notice. (It might also be that my plane has an Archer body with the hershey bar wings, and the missing vertical stabilizer strake annoys me, too! :) ) The other thing I like about the 180F is that you can see the tach in VC mode, and you can't in the dreamfleet. Not being able to see it gets very annoying when landing. One thing I did for the dreamfleet was use the popup gauge technique from the 180F for the tach and ADF (which I moved to the left of the tach, as it is in my plane) so I can bring it up when I need it.Overall, I like the 180F the best. The Dreamfleet was designed for FS2002, and the VC shows it (not clickable). Both, however, are great planes.The warrior is too touchy to me, but that could have to do with my joystick. I've never flown a real warrior though, so perhaps it actually feels that way, too. The Carenado Archer is older and not as crisp looking in the interior as the 180F, but it is a good plane as well. But I don't find myself choosing it too often, and haven't yet bothered to upgrade the panel for my needs either.Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)N15802 KASH '73 Piper Cherokee Challenger 180

[Guest SJDickson]

I have Australian Simulation's Piper Warrior but no longer use it and would be happy to let you have it. The package comes with an installer and a license key and weighs in at around 62MB. Send me a PM if you're interested and we'll arrange a way to get the package to you.

[Vox-tm 0]

Thanks folks for your replies and advice so far.SJDickson.. Thanks for the offer for that Warrior. I can't PM you as you have disabled your public profile, but yes, I would be interested.At the moment, it's looking like the 180F. The Dreamfleet was first, but if it doesn't have a clickable VC then that's not really going to cut it for me I don't think.Vox

[FlyingsCool 3]

Perhaps I spoke too quickly. The VC is partially clickable. You can control the radios and light/battery/pitot heat control buttons, carb heat lever, and autopilot. You can't control the throttle/Mixture, brake, Fuel tank, Primer or flap levers or trim knob or circuit breaker buttons. But there are popup windows for each of these systems.

[Guest mtlmtl]

I know its not on your list, but you may want to take a look at the DreamFleet Beech Bonanza A36 that is available at the Flight1 website. Lots of nice bells and whistles on this one; probably the best single prop I ever have purchased.Matt

[Vox-tm 0]

Thanks guys for the extra comments.Wow that Bonanza is cool :) More choice :$I know that none of these aircraft are expensive, and I don't want to seem 'cheap' by not buying them all, but perhaps I can explain why I'm trying to make a wise decision about buying the 'best' one.I'm not a real-world pilot, but one day in the not too distant future I plan to get the funds together to achieve a PPL. It's a question of time sadly. However, I have had some real flight experience in a Piper Warrior and Archer III and so are sort of already familiar with their cockpit layouts and handling. Therefore, for me to make good use of my time in FS and progress towards a PPL, I'd like to find a plane that mainly meets the following criteria:a) Handling and visuals as realistic as possible.:( Pre/post flight checks possible to aid learning.c) Not to daunting for a novice.Therefore, if the A36 is the most suitable - great. But primarily, I'd like it to either be an aircraft that I'm more likely to learn a PPL in or at least allows me to learn the basics of flight/navigation etc. in such a way that these things become habitual enought to take on to real flying lessons (i.e. nav/radio equipment types, their location in cockpit etc.)I hope I'm making some sense here. I guess what I'm saying is that anything I fly in FS should help to gain a PPL, not confuse and hinder the process.Having said that... maybe a payware Cessna would be better, although FS9's default *seems* ok to me.Thanks for reading all that waffle! :)Vox

[FlyingsCool 3]

Well, while you may not be able to afford PPL lessons now, how about going out and searching for the flight school you will eventually use and see what they fly?A lot of them give reduced rates on an introductory flight. A good place to start your search for possible locations is http://www.beapilot.com . This will get you involved with the reasonably sized schools, and, once you are familiar with the airport(s) you might use, you can get to know the freelancers.If you live northwest of Boston, MA, I've got a list of local flight schools on my website under the search button.I've been starting a tutorial, too, on getting your license (haven't gotten very far yet, too many pokers in the fire).Maybe what I should do is start a blog with installments or something? hmmmThomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)N15802 KASH '73 Piper Cherokee Challenger 180

[Guest]

I have the carenado 180 as well and love it. its such a smooth, easy flyer. I keep hoping someone will make a cherokee 140 but alas i never see it. If/when i ever get my PPL and buy a plane, it will probably be a 140 and it would be nice to get some sim time with one.

[FlyingsCool 3]

BTW, I love my Cherokee! One of the best airplanes you can get for the money. In '98 I paid $7500 for a quarter share (One of the owners has never flown it!), I've never had an issue in sharing it, it costs $30/hour to fly it, plus $350/year in insurance and between $500 to $1500/year in maintenance in all the years I've owned it.It can carry 4 adults easily (unlike a 172), and cruises at about 115 knots or so. Just a great airplane.My dream plane is a Cirrus SR20, though I think I would go with a six holer with the Avidyne on the side as I understand the electronic displays aren't super reliable.Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)N15802 KASH '73 Piper Cherokee Challenger 180

[Vox-tm 0]

Thanks Thomas for the extra advice.I'm actually in the UK, but I have got my eye on the airfield I'd like to learn to fly at - it's only a few miles from where I live and I get a wealth of 'low and slows' over the house most days.They have a mixture of Pipers to learn a PPL on, and I'm inclined to think that the Piper Archer II from Dreamfleet might be the best choice for me as I would no doubt be either learning on that aircraft or the PA28-140.Incidently, are the real PA28-181 Archer II and the Cherokee 180F identical? If so, then the Carenado would be a suitable buy too.Thanks again for the help,Vox

[FlyingsCool 3]

For the most part they are pretty much the same. The 180F has I think a 5" shorter fuselage, and a straight wing (my plane has the Archer body and the straight wing, but interior similar to the Carenado 180F (actually, a cross between the 180F and the Archer).Performancewise, they are pretty much identical. I find the Dreamfleet Archer to be a little fast at full throttle than I think the real plane is (since mine is the year before with the straight wing, I don't want to say I am positive about that), whereas the 180F flies closer to the numbers of my plane. But the Dreamfleet is still a great plane.The most important thing you will find will be matching the avionics, and learning the numbers to fly by in the different phases of flight. Performancewise, I prefer the 180F as a closer match to the Cherokee/Archer. But I'd get both and see what you think. As I noted, I modified both planes to match the avionics and panel layout of my own plane.While the Archer got a little more power, it also got heavier. So, for the most part, a PA28 is a PA28.Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)N15802 KASH '73 Piper Cherokee Challenger 180