For me the Comanche is still the best GA aircraft in the sim when I think of the the package wholistically. Black Square, has done excellent system modelling and representation, perhaps at a greater depth than A2A, but as others have said the engine simulation and the flight model are not as refined as A2A, which I still think is the best GA flight model I have flown in either FSX/P3D and MSFS.  Black Square is not bad, I fly the TBM and now the Duke a great deal, but the Duke in particularly feels lighter in the air than I would expect. And while Black Square has wear and tear, the interactive nature of the Comanche with the walk around makes this aspect much more immersive for me. Small things like the walk around and the manual pushback actually make a big difference, I find. Unfortunately, the Comanche is just so slow that I find I do not fly it as much. I hope one day A2A concentrates on an aircraft with much greater speed and versatility.

The Comanche is undoubtedly more refined, but I find flying the Duke more enjoyable. Although the external flight model from A2A provides a more realistic flight experience, it has some drawbacks, such as micro-stutters causing unusual aircraft behavior at times.

for me C414 from flightsimware have still one of the best flight model, 

tried Duke Turbine- overal great experiences, top notch in systems... but something wrong is with its flight model... very strange behaviour in Gust winds for me.. and others things...

fingers cross they will tuned flight model .....

ah and one more ... I understand that after SU 15 Duke will better make taxi, an ground roll operation? - because of new ground handling?

 

brds

I agree, the Comanche is 'better' but the Duke is more enjoyable to fly. 

53 minutes ago, Epgd said:

for me C414 from flightsimware have still one of the best flight model, 

I fully agree here. I really enjoyed flying the 414, it felt appropriately heavy with proper inertia. A really great flight model. I have not flown it in a very long time now because it lacks wear and tear and failures, two things that are important to me in an aircraft, but that does not take away from its excellent modeling and flight model.

 

32 minutes ago, St Mawgan said:

I agree, the Comanche is 'better' but the Duke is more enjoyable to fly. 

I am in this camp too. I love the Comanche but it is a pretty boring aircraft to fly, generally speaking. A2A did a great job with the wear and tear and failures and designing an add on that you do have to pay attention to before, during and after every flight, but at the end of the day it is a 5000 to 7000, slow going aircraft that can do a limited scope of missions.

So where does all that leave the OP? I gather that all the above mentioned a/c are the best and all of them fall down in some respect.

Fortunately I have all of them and they are ALL #1 at any given moment. Depends what you feel like at the time.

Now, what is the best warbird?

32 minutes ago, Ron Attwood said:

So where does all that leave the OP? I gather that all the above mentioned a/c are the best and all of them fall down in some respect.

Fortunately I have all of them and they are ALL #1 at any given moment. Depends what you feel like at the time.

 

 

@Greazer

I agree hehe!  I absolutely enjoy the dukes, c414, pa24, m500 etc.  No one addon is the best of the best imo.  The Comanche is really great at most things but I honestly don't love the flight model, especially with elevator control it's too touchy.  The 414 has fabulous sounds and textures but it has no failures and wear/tear.  The m500 is likely the best flight model - it has that realair feel especially during crosswinds, but it's kinda a boring with g1000 haha (the aircraft is very advanced of course buts like "fly the magenta").  The dukes have phenomenal everything except the interior textures may be too clean for some people.  I'd say the 414 has the best interior textures.  The PA24 is a close second, and the dukes and m500 are about the same.  

I really enjoy all of them!  Everyone GA flight simmer should own them all.

 

It's like asking who is/was the best guitarist of all time.  The answer is completely subjective and more or less dependent upon the genre.  

I mean, as long as you rule out Jeff Beck...  😁

Well, the title of the thread is rather endemic to the addon scene hype machine imo. Anyone who reviews this and actually says something like "the Duke and its Turbine brother make an excellent addon package, definitely worth the money if you enjoy GA" would get a huge thumbs up from me. I haven't seen an objective review yet though, which is the norm. To get someone to watch your YT review you sadly need to say it's the most amazing thing ever or whatever were they thinking.

It IS an excellent package, both planes. Black Square are definitely getting UP there with the finest addon devs, more so each release. 

The moment you call anything the BEST or #1 then you are setting it up for criticism. Not the devs fault at all!

The modelling, sounds and systems depth/documentation is evidence of much hard work from Black Square and I hope that is rewarded with many sales. Anyone who buys the Dukes expecting perfection will not be as satisfied as someone who buys them expecting value for money and a LOT of fun.

 

Yeah, its hard to say what would be number one out of so many. If you see my list of planes below...I have several. Airliners, Bizjets, GA etc.

If were to put out no particular order. I am serious...no particular order of GA....that are my personal favorites with a higher level of fidelity...

A2A Comanche, FlySimWare 414, Milviz 310, SimWorksStudios Kodiak and PC12, FSreborn 500, BlackSquare Dukes. I have a lot more planes than this and fly all of them. They each have their quirks and some have more things that are in depth. I still fly the JF Arrows, FlightFX Vision and HJet.....and the FlightSimStudios Tecnam....

Example: The FlySimWare 414 was released over 2 some years ago and it still gets updated every month or so. The 310 has a few quirks and bugs that were not fixed for a long time after a few SU messed a few issues up. Can't remember what they were. But I still love it as well

 

Edited May 19, 20242 yr by Sonosusto

8 hours ago, edpatino said:

lacks better definition on the panel textures,

I'm sorry but your opinion does not reflect my experience with the actual Turbine Duke, the panel looks perfect and crisp in every way. I absolutely love this aircraft, I've already flown it 7k+ miles with no issues whatsoever. Worth every penny if you ask me.

I really like how BS modeled in Duke roundup and  flare relative to controls sensitivity (control responsiveness vs airflow ) . A2A kind lack in this department . 
 

Over all both BS and A2A  are great products. A2A is of course more complete but as we see BS is stepping up with each new release series. 

On 5/19/2024 at 5:45 AM, Greazer said:

That's the question. Is Black Square number 1?  I'm talking about GA aircraft obviously.

Without a doubt! Never before was flying more realistic and awesome.

My Apache is already hating me because I spend all time with my new beloved Duke, flying and repainting her 😄

11 hours ago, sd_flyer said:

I really like how BS modeled in Duke roundup and  flare relative to controls sensitivity (control responsiveness vs airflow ) . A2A kind lack in this department . 
 

Over all both BS and A2A  are great products. A2A is of course more complete but as we see BS is stepping up with each new release series. 

Yeah, pretty much how I feel.  You can't bring the Comanche down without porpoising all over the place.  It's just too sensitive in pitch.  Otherwise a great little plane.

1 hour ago, JetCat said:

Without a doubt! Never before was flying more realistic and awesome.

My Apache is already hating me because I spend all time with my new beloved Duke, flying and repainting her 😄

What are you doing to those engines 🤣 51% in 1.3 hours?  Oil doors should be open on the ground (look at the temps) and ice deflectors closed to prevent FOD (debris) from entering the engine.