Well as you said, you are an airbus person, so you just have to experience the FSLabs. There is nothing quite like it in the market in terms of simulation and is a huge step up from the ToLiss that you were flying in XP11.

The price is well worth it, especially the recent update that has a lot of improvements and it is finally a great performer now in terms of FPS in P3Dv5 DX12.

 

But if price is really really a factor, then I also suggest the MaddogX. But my heart is in the FSLabs 😄

Edited July 2, 20205 yr by snapshot21

3 minutes ago, snapshot21 said:

Well as you said, you are an airbus person, so you just have to experience the FSLabs. There is nothing quite like it in the market in terms of simulation and is a huge step up from the ToLiss that you were flying in XP11.

The price is well worth it, especially the recent update that has a lot of improvements and it is finally a great performer now in terms of FPS in P3Dv5 DX12.

But its 140 USD= 200Aud. Sorry, that's just too expensive.

Wow! Just limited to airliners?  That's a significant limitation. There is so much more to flying, and to personal experience and discovery!  With a wider variety of aircraft models I am not limited to where I fly, or to what I experience.... and see....  and enjoy....

 

Edited July 2, 20205 yr by fppilot

Maddog or Q400. But the Q400 doesn't have a v5 version yet, though the v4 version works mostly well.

If you look at Aerosoft, the 330 is the way to go. Great in VRAM and a PBR cockpit on par with the Maddog. Though I enjoy the 318-321 also.  All of these will meet your requirements for full nav/fms capabilities.

Aerosoft stuff is on sale this weekend at least at pcaviator.

The others that I like a lot are the Flysimware Lear 35A or Falcon 50 with the RXP GTN 750.

FSW is also on sale this weekend, both jets can be had for about $20.

4 hours ago, Mgard78 said:

Nobody is recommending PMDG because you asked for mid price, and that is something PMDG is not. They are the most expensive planes of all...

Oh no, PMDG are not the most expensive of all--that'd be the FSL Scarebus.  The PMDG 737 base version (800/900/900ER) is $100, and the FSL A320 is $140. 

The full series for both is even more of a disparity--the PMDG 737-800/900 plus the 600/700 extension is $125, the FSL A319/320/321 combination comes in for double that at $250. 

I presume the FSL prices are in USD? So yeah I think its either the PMDG 737 or Q400.

I rather like the ability of the PMDG 737 NGX to do IAN approaches. If the airport does not have an ILS approach for a specific runway, I just select it in the FMC, input the distance and glide slope required, and basically ride it down like an ILS. Sorted!

Well I have owned all of the aircraft talked about here. But firstly am not sure on your pricers.

Here in the UK pricers are shown in US $

PMDG NGXu = $99.99

FSL A320 = $139.95

Unless you have some huge tax on top there is only £20 between the NGXu and the FSL A320. Thats 4 beers at the pub.

The Q400 is as Alan says the best bang for bucks out there but watch videos on it, I tried so many times to like it but never did. 

You said yourself that your an Airbus fan.

Nothing comes close to the FSL A320. You don't need the 319 or the 321 until you get board with the A320. There far from just a remodel they take off differently, fly differently and also land differently.

But the A320 is a perfect start and you will never look back. All that for £20 more than IMO the 2nd best aircraft we can buy the PMDG NGXu. 

Take a deep breath an invest in the very best there is. But WARNING you also need GSXv2. Together they will blow your mind.

Something is only ever really cheap if you don't find yourself wishing you had bought something else, Then the thing you wish you had bought in the first place is even more expensive as you have just wasted a big amount towards getting what you should have bought in the first place.

 

 

Edited July 2, 20205 yr by Nyxx

Few people have advised the MaddogX. It's probably a very good aircraft, but it does not fall (anymore) in the mid-price category : I don't know what is the price in Australia but here in Europe the P3DV5 version costs 110 EUR, more than the PMDG 737NGXu  (which I agree does not fall neither in the mid-price range, with its 99$). 

 

Alright, so yes I think its gonna be the Majestic Q400.

I'm torn between the Q400 and the TFDi 717. In fact I'm glad to possess both and I fly and enjoy them equally much. Perhaps it comes down to if you prefer turboprobs or jets. The Dash has the better system representation, but then again, there is not too much automation on this aircraft in the first place – also meaning there is more work for you to do. Which can be a good thing, or not.

14 minutes ago, Nyxx said:

Something is only ever really cheap if you don't find yourself wishing you had bought something else, Then the thing you wish you had bought in the first place is even more expensive as you have just wasted a big amount towards getting what you should have bought in the first place.

Absolutely correct.

A can sympathise with the A320 being expensive to buy where you live, it gets quite a bit of tax thrown on it in the UK too (it cost me £139 if I remember correctly).

Nevertheless. I have bought numerous Airbus models for FSX and P3D, so I have the Black Box Simulations ones, the Aerosoft ones and the FSL ones (in fact I bought the FSL A320 twice, once for FSX and once for P3D, so that adds up to spending about 270 quid on just the FSL A320 alone). Then again, if that doesn't tell you it's worth the money, I don't know what will.

I still say the Q400 is a good bet if bang for bucks is your criteria, but if you are an Airbus fan and really want one for P3D, here the deal...

If you want the absolutely most realistic experience where literally everything works pretty  much exactly as per the real thing for pilot operations (both normal procedures and abnormal), then you will want the FSL A320. There is no denying that it isn't cheap, but if you think of it as the same money as three decent nights out - two if you're really on a bender lol - but which won't give you a hangover and will still be enjoyable for many years as opposed to for one night, then the price becomes much more palatable.

The Aerosoft Airbuses are pretty good second place contenders. The bundle package, where you get the A320. 321, 319 and 318 is great if you are an Airbus completist and if you have the FSL A320, the other variants in this package are a good supplement to it rather than breaking the bank with another FSL offering. Differences worthy of note of course with these other Buses, is the slightly different flare and rotate on a 321, and the steep landing approach capabilities of of the 318 with its different overhead panel and autopilot mode because of this. They don't simulate as much 'under the hood' stuff as the FSL one, but for normal operations they do a pretty good job.

The Black Box Simulations Airbuses are another option. They are the least expensive choices, and whilst they do have some fun and even unique features; the way nosewheel steering has been implemented is one of the better ways it can be done in a PC sim for example. and the livery and load manager is better than on many other add-ons. Nevertheless, they're probably the third place choice. There is an exception to this however, and that is the Black Box Simulations A340 variant. Being that the real A340 is an aeroplane which few airlines want these days (you can buy a real one with low hours for about 10 million quid these days), there's probably not much chance that any other developer is ever going to have a stab at making one, so the BBS A340 is one worth picking up if you like a 'complete set' of Airbuses. It used to be the case with their A330 too, but since Aerosoft have now also made an A330, that one is more preferable these days, but if you want an A340, and let's be honest, despite its lack of popularity in the real world, it is without doubt the best looking airliner Airbus has ever produced, so why wouldn't you? Then the BBS one is pretty nice.

Visual comparison between the three ones mentioned here...

 

 

Thanks @Chock for the great explanation! I think that for now I will try the q400 and get the FSL a320 later on If decide that P3D is really better for me. I did consider the Aerosoft but as you said it is probably better to getting 1 good product instead of many mediocre  ones. 

Depends what you want; short, middle or long range flights.

My top tier budget list: 1) QW787 2) MaddogX 3)MJC Q400 4)Tfdi 717 5)Aerosoft airbus 6)Captainsim 757 when on sale

I see the prices of these recommendations and then I remember those days when "medium price" meant $25-35 and anything over $50 was too expensive. Ouch...

Edited July 2, 20205 yr by Luis Hernandez