Let's talk about fun Fenix, Leonardo or PMDG

[jcomm 5,890]

2 hours ago, Bobsk8 said:

The FENIX A 320, without a doubt, is the best flying tubeliner I have ever flown in a flight sim. 

I too am also becoming a fan of this one.

Not that I don't appreciate the PMDG 737 and the FBW A32N, but the functionality, ease of use / setup, from gate to gate, the systems and failures modelling, even the "feel" of the Fenix A320 have already made it my #1 MFS addon.

[Fiorentoni 4,156]

The Fenix is the most complete product by far, but I have most fun flying the 737, because a 737 is the perfect mix between manual switch flipping and computerization. That's, however, not something PMDG or Fenix could influence, because it's the plane itself.

[Alaska738 8,389]

The 737 is the most fun for me simply that i'm a big fan. It will be even more so when all the additions are integrated such as the EFB, sun visor, opening windows and more. At this stage, it's an anticipated version. The Fenix  is the most complete plane from Airbus. Having it flown is a pleasure but not as much as the 737. And the Maddog, i haven't opinion to give, i never knew how to fly it 🤣

[MDFlier 2,031]

I don't own the Maddog, but I have been having the time of my life with both the 737 and A320. I've never had a decent A320 before as I wouldn't buy the FSL, so being able to alternate between the two has been fantastic.

As mentioned, the features in the Fenix help create a "Full flight" experience. It handles the pax and cargo loading, and the "My Flight" part that tracks time left before departure really helps keep you focused on getting all of the pre-flight tasks done in time. I like that dispatch asks you to explain yourself if you depart late. The airplane itself flies great and I just really enjoy flying it. 

The 737 is also a great airplane. It performs better than it ever did in P3D, and and is just super smooth all the way through the flight. Flying it does involve a lot more work as I have to use my 2nd monitor for the Simbrief OFP, Navigraph charts, a TO perf calculator on my tablet, and a load calculation spreadsheet that I use to determine the cargo weights. I really hate that part. I can tell Simbrief that I want 100 PAX and it determines the weights and such, but when I input 100 PAX in the MCDU of the airplane, the weights don't work. If I input the ZFW, then the # of PAX is wrong so I use a spreadsheet to calculate the weight of the PAX, and subtract it from the ZFW to come up with the amount of cargo to add in each hold to get the proper weight and # of PAX according to the Simbrief plan. I know, just input the ZFW and move on... Well... That's what I did in P3D, and the Fenix doesn't make me do it, so...

Both will only be getting better, and we are going to see many more great airplanes coming our way. It's a great time to be into flight simulation for sure.    

Edited June 23, 2022 by MDFlier

[Torsen 495]

2 hours ago, Swe_Richard said:

Would like to add another one to the mix (although it might not be as 'study level' as the other three) and that would be the 146! That one is excellent and even more 'Tubeliner Unplugged'.. 😉

 

In terms of what you have to study before you get the beast started and flying, the 146 is more "study level" (man I hate this term) than the other three mentioned. Ok maddog you won't start without some in deep knowledge either. These two are actual pilot planes needing more "flying" skills than "managing"  skills. I'm still on boykott of the maddog so my flying time is 50% 146 and 25% both on 737/320.

Cheers T.

Edited June 23, 2022 by Torsen

[Swe_Richard 1,172]

2 minutes ago, Torsen said:

In terms of what you have to study before you get the beast started, the 146 is more "study level" (man I hate this term) than the other three mentioned. Ok maddog you won't start without some in deep knowledge either. These two are actual pilot planes needing more "flying" skills than "managing"  skills. I'm still on boykott of the maddog so my flying time is 50% 146 and 25% on 737/320.

Cheers T.

Yup. That is indeed a valid point. And setting up TMS and stuff like that. It is a really good plane. Worth every penny!

[Swe_Richard 1,172]

Might have to add that although I only mentioned the 146 I have the three other. I concur with other comments that the Fenix is the most advanced. However I also tend to like the 737 slightly more. I have flown the MD the least, not because I don't like it just because of lack of time and I still haven't got in in my company in OnAir.. 😉

 

[177B 730]

I OD'd on tubes for a while Fenix and 737 PMDG, both great. I flew the 737 more, I like more hans on I guess.

Now I am back flying the C310, more fun really. I do short hops in bad WX lots of low valley flying and challenging IFR approaches. Hand flying most of the time.

I do feel like a Bus driver flying tubes after a while, I like GA better, it is also what I do in real life. I would never want to be an ATP too boring. It is fun to learn to program the flights and manage them, but once mastered it is pretty boring for me at least. I had fun learning how to set up holds and fly some routes I have flown IRL but now I am back to GA.

[sd_flyer 6,034]

3 hours ago, Aglos77 said:

First sorry fo my bad english...

We often focus on other aspects than what I think should be the main thing, fun. I know that everyone has fun in their own way but maybe this will help more than one undecided person.... 

Which of the three study level Airliners do you find the most fun and why?a

Thank you !!

All three of them are great add ons, but I personally consider MD-82 is most fun to fly. Because fun for me is when flying is more challenging and MD-82 provides! 🙂

[SetSpeed 22]

I have the Fenix and PMDG. I avoid comparing 320 to 737 and instead compare developer to developer. Which developer has done a better job of simulating their respective aircraft? At the moment, in my opinion, fenix is far ahead of pmdg. I like that they are using prosim.  It will be interesting to see how the pmdg matures over the next year. Both great products and I’m happy to have them in msfs 2020.

Edited June 23, 2022 by SetSpeed

[ha5mvo 241]

Darkstar

[sniper31 635]

So I have both the Fenix A320 and the PMDG B737, but not the MD-82, so I cannot speak to that one. Between the A320 and the B737, for me, I have the most FUN flying the B737. Why? It comes down to being a more hands on plane for me. The Fenix A320 is an excellent piece of work. I DO enjoy flying her too. But, I find myself gravitating back to the 737 just a bit more. My flight breakdown is probably 60% B737 and 40% A320. In the end, I think both aircraft are fun to fly in MSFS. Now, I would like to throw an honorable mention to the JF 146, even though the OP did not specifically ask about it. This baby C-17 is loads of fun to fly. It is one of most fun passenger jets to hand fly in MSFS so far, in my opinion, and it is more hands on and old school then the 737, but not to the point that is impossible to figure out. It is also capable of squeezing into a wider range of airports then the bigger airliners, and can be a fun plane to use for passenger, cargo, VIP or even military supply flights. All those livery and variant types are included. A great release, that I think has been living under the shadow of the A320 and B737.

[kiwikat 506]

Might be dumb but the better frame rate of the PMDG 737 has me going to it a lot more frequently than the Fenix plane, even though the Fenix one is mostly better across the board from a feature standpoint.

[ha5mvo 241]

This really boils down to one's perception of "fun".

the MD82 and the 737 are quite different than the airbus, the latter being heavily automated.

Some may find an Airbus to be more "boring" while others would appreciate its excellent systems simulation, especially if you intend to use the failures feature. Won't go terribly wrong with either as they are the best the platform has to offer to date.

[Tom Wright 438]

I don't have the Leonardo, but I do have both the Fenix A320 and the PMDG 737.

My advice - get them both! They're both short to medium haul jet airliners, but that's where the similarities end as far as operating them goes. They're different enough from each other that they're fun to fly in different ways.

The Fenix is incredibly impressive, and is probably the most feature rich of the two. The realistic passenger/fuel loading and integration with the EFB makes it an extremely immersive simulation and takes it fat beyond just flying the plane, more like the whole operation of an A320 flight from gate to gate.

I'm going to go against the grain here a little bit though and say for me personally I get a little more from the 737. I think its mainly because I have an older PC and it runs so much better, giving a much smoother and better looking experience. It's not quite as full featured or polished as the A320 - loading the aircraft through the FMC is all a bit FSXish - but its still an awesome add on and very enjoyable to fly.