Ten years of GA and I purchased the Fenix Airbus A320.  Very happy with it and can go from cold and dark to shutting down comfortably.  The EFB is one reason why this aircraft is straightforward to learn.  I am having a blast flying an airliner again, so much so I have re-joined Vatsim!

I have said I would hold off getting the PMDG B737 because there is no EFB yet.  However, I would love to have a go at the Boing way of doing things, so I am thinking of getting it before the EFB is released. My question is, will I enjoy the B737 now I'm used to the EFB in the Fenix?  Maybe I would be frustrated with the PMDG without it?  Anybody have both and don't find the PMDG lacking?

Edited May 28, 20224 yr by MrBitstFlyer

I wouldn’t let the lack of an EFB dissuade you from buying it.  At the end of the day it’s about the aircraft itself, which is quite nicely done.  I had a great flight in the Fenix A320 this afternoon and will now go and have what I’m sure will be an enjoyable flight in the 737 tonight.

I don’t have the Fenix (at least not yet....), but can’t get enough of the PMDG B737.

Maybe it’s because I like Boeing’s systems, but since purchase I can’t stop flying her.

I do have the Bae146 as well which is also nicely done and great for me as I rode on the real planes as a kid.

I’m pondering s MD82 purchase myself but this 737 is just so comfortable...

I agree that having such a powerful and useful EFB is a plus as Fenix developed. Unfortunately, PMDG dropped the ball with that.

As a real pilot dual-qualified in both, I find the A320 to have fewer bugs. Certain bugs in the 737 are quite annoying from point of real pilot view of operations while the other, not so.

Operating and learning it's an extensive task, especially since they are very so different in many ways.

Even though the 737 was pushed very early, I don't see any reason not to buy it.

From my perspective, knowing what I know now I wished I didn't purchased yet and waited for them to fix some of those issues. 

Just visit both forums and try to digest and see what is going on.

Much, though not all of what you can do in the a320 EFB, you can currently do through the PMDG's FMC (i.e. adjusting payload, fuel, ground services etc.)  It's not pretty but it gets the job done, and at least can be done in the sim rather than via an external app like we used to have to do in the old days.  The only thing I really miss is not being able to calibrate you controls directly like so many other products.  In any case,I do not feel this takes away very much from the experience.  It is a fun bird to fly, especially if you are looking for a new challenge, as it sounds like you are.  The contrast between the two is fascinating.  The 737NG is such a fun and interesting mix of old and new technology, and has a slightly more manual/mechanical feel to it. I do not think it is really any harder to learn, but it is quite different, and so it will fill out your aircraft library nicely

.Andrew 

Edited May 28, 20224 yr by Avwriter

15 minutes ago, Avwriter said:

Much, though not all of what you can do in the a320 EFB, you can currently do through the PMDG's FMC (i.e. adjusting payload, fuel, ground services etc.)  It's not pretty but it gets the job done,

That is interesting, at least it can be done in plane.  How about calculating Vspeeds etc - take off and landing calculations are all done in the FENIX A320 EFB - how does PMDG manage this?

6 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

That is interesting, at least it can be done in plane.  How about calculating Vspeeds etc - take off and landing calculations are all done in the FENIX A320 EFB - how does PMDG manage this?

The FMC does it for you if you double press the line select keys next to the Vspeeds.

Honestly the EFB is pretty in the Fenix but I don't miss it that much in the 737. As others have said it's a much more bare bones aircraft in real life anyway when it comes to technology.

Edited May 28, 20224 yr by Tom Wright

I also have both aircraft, and I enjoy flying both of them. I have been making about two flights in the A320, then switching to the B737 for two flight and back and forth like this. I don't mind the fact that the B737 does not have an EFB, because I have a second PC as part of my desktop cockpit setup. That second PC IS my EFB. So, mainly, I have Navigraph and Simbrief up and running on this 2nd PC. Most of the other functions are available via the FMC on the 737. Further, as regards the A320, as much as I love flying it, I am using the EFB less and less. Why? For one, having my Navigraph charts and flight plan open right next to me flight screen with much bigger sized charts is much easier for me. Also, I find that it is hard for me to know what info on the A320 EFB is being converted to Imperial and what isn't compared to the MCDU. Yes, I have the EFB settings set to Imperial, but even then, there are certain spots in the MCDU that only want QNH or only want to show temps in Celsius. It gets confusing. I don't have this problem on the 737. In pure flying, I enjoy both aircraft immensely. 

5 minutes ago, Tom Wright said:

The FMC does it for you if you double press the line select keys next to the Vspeeds.

Honestly the EFB is pretty in the Fenix but I don't miss it that much in the 737. As others have said it's a much more bare bones aircraft in real life anyway when it comes to technology.

Thanks for that, at least the calculations are done.

I am surprised to hear the B737 is more bare bones / less technology than the A320!  I am intrigued at the operational differences between the two aircraft so I think I'll go for the PMDG B737!

Thanks for the info everyone 🙂

Looking forward to buying it myself this week since I am on vacation. I was in a 700 for trips this past week and up front so I got to watch some of the origination checks. The sounds I heard on YouTube of this plane are just spot on.

I have both planes and they are both great. No, you don't really miss the EFB in the 737 - at least not so much that you don't enjoy it. Yes, the Fenix has an amazing EFB, but you can do pretty much all the stuff in the 737 as well, it's just not as pretty. You can, for example

1. Import your flight plan from Simbrief - this requires that you use the Simbrief downloader to download the flight plan to a specific directory on your computer, and then the plane can import it with a single press. The SB downloader can be set to auto-download, so the workflow is like this : Plan and Generate Flight in SB > in the 737, use the Company Route feature to get the plan loaded in.

2. Use the tug to pushback

3. Get VREF and other calculations done

4. Change aircraft options

5. Failures and Maintenance

and more. 

The biggest thing it's missing is Navigraph integration in the way the Fenix EFB does it. But that's not a big deal cause you can use the Navigraph app. 

Fenix is more polished, but the 737 is great fun and I would highly recommend it. 

The 737-700 is great and I enjoy flying it along with the Fenix. Both are very good and have their own strengths and weaknesses. I wouldn’t hold off on buying the PMDG due to the lack of EFB, especially if you like airliner flying and want to learn how to do things the Boeing way. 

1 hour ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

That is interesting, at least it can be done in plane.  How about calculating Vspeeds etc - take off and landing calculations are all done in the FENIX A320 EFB - how does PMDG manage this?

The PMDG does not have a takeoff performance calculator. I’m using Topcat to calculate flex temps for derated takeoffs.

I have purchased the PMDG B737 and completed the tutorial flight - wow, I wish I had purchased on day one!  Very different to the A320 🙂

Graphics and sounds are fantastic and she flies very nicely indeed.  Thanks for the comments and helping making my mind up to purchase.   It just goes to show you can't always gauge the quality of an addon from negative reviews. I was expecting to be disappointed from some of the comments in other threads and after experiencing the quality of the Fenix A320, but the PMDG B737 is a must buy!