I'll be installing 2024 in a couple of weeks, and keeping 2020 around for a while 😅..  through all the noise, hearing from those who've actually got the sim working it appears that the ground level details are as promised, atmospheric lighting is better, weather/clouds are better, the new flight planner is great and has complex depth, better multi-threading, etc.. but what I'm most interested in are the flight dynamics and ground handling improvements (or lack thereof), and the quality of the default aircraft/systems/avionics in general.

So wanted to keep this thread solely focused on flight dynamics and ground and water handling/physics, and the ground<->air transition. In general I'm hearing good things, and tried to compile some of the posts from various threads below. Believe only the GA pilots have chimed in with positive reviews so far, would love to hear from those of you able to assess the bigger birds like the A330, 737 Max. Please report! And thanks.
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https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/654188-if-msfs-2024-has-installed-and-works-for-you-comment-here/page/5/#findComment-5236433
" Landed at a small aeroclub, and my lack of differential breaking made navigating the tiny taxiways a bit difficult. I ended up in the grass and gunned it to get moving, then gave it full rudder to try and get back to where I needed to be on the taxiway. The steerable tailwheel just skidded on the grass and then the pavement. Never tried this in real life, but with a lot of momentum but no propwash to kick out the tail, I'm guessing this is somewhat realistic."

"I did a bunch of landing challenges, and some are carried over from 2020. Every plane feels so much better. The Porter in particular was junk in 2020 but it's actually usable now. Slipping is much more effective than it ever was in 2020"

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/654188-if-msfs-2024-has-installed-and-works-for-you-comment-here/page/5/#findComment-5236610
"C172 flight model:  I was positively surprised. She seemed convincing, stable in smooth air, behaves realistically while taxi, takeoff roll and landing.
Ground detail and ground physics:  Absolutely awesome! I took off and landed from a gravel runways, a beach - dust and sand whirls up. Increased ground friction makes takeoffs challenging, wheels leave marks in the sand, landing gear dynamically interacts with the ground."

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/654143-1st-flight-1st-impression-thread/
"Ground friction felt realistic as no more turning on a dime. Flight went smooth. Got to traffic pattern alt and the world once again looked great as the plane was getting some nice realistic bounces from the air and thermals..no more rails feeling is what I thought"

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/654101-msfs-2024-has-been-released/page/52/#findComment-5235851
"I am not type rated in the Cessna 404 Titan, was only a co pilot once in a Cessna 310 twin, and I haven't adjusted the controls yet, so this is a purely un-scientific subjective emotional statement:
it felt absolutely fantastic, including the new ground handling.  there is no way I will ever go back to MSFS 2020"

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/654101-msfs-2024-has-been-released/page/57/#findComment-5236577
"the GA planes feel more lively and real but also easier to keep stable like they do in real life."

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/654101-msfs-2024-has-been-released/page/49/#findComment-5235317
"From an early point of view, the flight modeling, visuals, weather, and other aspects I could test are a big leap forward from MSFS 2020"
 

Edited November 20, 20241 yr by lwt1971

And I guess the weather radar *finally* has tilt for the 3D cone so that's great and helps with the overall flying experience.

Also hearing that as promised the clouds density is better and the how the aircraft is impacted by more dangerous weather, turbulence and thermals, etc are also better than 2020.

Please report on the weather + flight dynamics interactions if possible too please 🙂 
 

Edited November 20, 20241 yr by lwt1971

From a real life Cessna 172 and DR400 pilot:

Quote

Ground handling and flight model are better in my opinion. I have only flown C172s and DR400s IRL, so i'll only judge these planes in the sim. Both feel right, the DR400 especially feels perfect, something i didn't feel back in 2020.

Honestly, if they work out the major bugs and the 3rd party add-ons become compatible with MSFS 2024, we have a huge winner here.  The graphics in MSFS 2024 at ground level are simply at another level compared to MSFS 2020. The clouds are also so much better in MSFS 2024.  And most people are getting good performance.  I think it will take about 3 months to hammer out the major issues, and the corner will turn on MSFS 2024.

Edited November 20, 20241 yr by abrams_tank

Another response from a real life pilot:

Quote

Not OP but I fly IRL and it’s definitely a major improvement for GA. I imagine once developers take advantage of the new tools we will see a similar improvement for transport category aircraft.

 

Great idea, Len. Thank you!

I’m offended you didn’t quote my thread as part of your references! 
 

im kidding lol. 
 

nice compilation though.

Seems like the 737 MAX and many other default planes are a mess.

 

5 hours ago, lwt1971 said:

And I guess the weather radar *finally* has tilt for the 3D cone so that's great and helps with the overall flying experience.

Also hearing that as promised the clouds density is better and the how the aircraft is impacted by more dangerous weather, turbulence and thermals, etc are also better than 2020.

Please report on the weather + flight dynamics interactions if possible too please 🙂 
 

I always wondered if the actual cone dispersion is as wide as it is portrayed in sim (at least in 2020). I assume it varies depending on the manufacturer but I wonder if by adding tilt, they also allowed for devs to change the dispersion angle of the actual cone itself as well.

More reports (once again, given the gazillion threads I'm just trying to collect all flight dynamics and related posts 🙂)


https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/654188-if-msfs-2024-has-installed-and-works-for-you-comment-here/page/7/#findComment-5237228
"The A330 flew the AMLUH 9W SID out of EDHI without any issues, respecting the 220 knot speed restriction. All of the auto flight modes that I've tried so far work as they should. The captain's and co-pilot's MCDUs are independent, but the third MCDU is non-functional. The aircraft position gets displayed in the (external) Navigraph Charts out of the box, as with MSFS 2020. I'm currently in the climb, and the flight looks trouble-free so far.

If these initial impressions hold up, I can see myself using the A330 regularly. From what I've seen so far, it definitely seems "VATSIM-compatible".

My first flight with the A330 (EDHI to EDDF) was similar. The overall experience was nice. VNAV in the descent was spot-on; I started the descent a bit late, so I was 1500 feet above profile; the aircraft went to the top of the speed bracket and regained the profile without any issues. Got some very nice cloud layers in the descent; not sure if I just got lucky, but I don't remember seeing anything similar in MSFS 2020 in a long time.

For a default aircraft, the A330 is very solid. I don't have the Aerosoft A330, and I don't see myself getting it either."


https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/654188-if-msfs-2024-has-installed-and-works-for-you-comment-here/page/7/#findComment-5239715
"I like the 737 Max 8 but it has no passenger cabin and pales in comparison to iFly's masterpiece which I can't wait for it to be ported over"


https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/654188-if-msfs-2024-has-installed-and-works-for-you-comment-here/page/8/#findComment-5239769
"I have completed two flights.

When it's working (emphasis), the ambiance, colors and lighting is a true masterpiece.

In general, my opinion, the flight dynamics is a huge improvement vs  FS2020. The default 737-8 actually felt very nice. Lateral control during takeoffs is much much improved."
 

Edited November 20, 20241 yr by lwt1971

From 320 Sim Pilot who's an IRL 320 and now 787 pilot... he flew the Beluga for his first flight in MSFS 2024.

Some quotes:
"huge improvement over 2020, the airplane feels like an airplane and has weight to it"
"i would expect this from 3rd party aircraft but this is default"
he felt that the wheels behave genuinely on landing, i.e. rear wheels' back wheels behave and hit the ground first then the front ones as they should IRL, etc
"ground handling felt good on this Beluga"
"default airliner simulation experience is great"
 

 

All these quotes match my experience.

The flight model is so good I couldn’t see myself going back to MSFS 2020 and uninstalled it.

I'm happy as the A321 flies nice. I'll try the A330 on the weekend. The MAX looks like a bit of a mess and I won't touch it until it gets simbrief integration but I'm happy with the flight characteristics.

Only tried a handful of GA so far, but the main theme for me is inertia, inertia, inertia! All the planes now feel like they have the right kind of weight. Feels much more intuitive (although not a RL pilot etc. etc.)

8 hours ago, Kevin_28 said:

I always wondered if the actual cone dispersion is as wide as it is portrayed in sim (at least in 2020). I assume it varies depending on the manufacturer but I wonder if by adding tilt, they also allowed for devs to change the dispersion angle of the actual cone itself as well.

Ya good question/point. Wonder if the SDK docs have any more details about the weather radar improvements and specific configurability by aircraft devs. Will try to hunt around in there.
 

2 hours ago, Los said:

All these quotes match my experience.

The flight model is so good I couldn’t see myself going back to MSFS 2020 and uninstalled it.

You're making me want to get 2024 asap 😅, great to hear though.

And this is all just with the default aircraft too (though MS/Asobo have raised the standards themselves on default birds from 2020).. looking forward to what all the expert 3rd party aircraft devs can do with the new 2024 capabilities.
 

Edited November 21, 20241 yr by lwt1971