Best Fsx Payware Aircraft

[Raelene Heersink]

Speakingstrictly about he Microsoft Flight Sim saga (yes P3D, that includes you too), the freeware community was nowhere near as active. Yes, there were AI traffic liveries, plane liveries, POSKY, and some sceneries, but they were mostly from reputable developers (Orbx). I can't think of a single freeware project that aimed to create such high fidelity planes. And when we got a freeware item, there were very few updates, if any at all. This has been so incredible for the flight sim community, and has allowed folks from all walks of life to dip their toes into experiencing flight...BUT...

It feels like we've been trapped in Beta world when it comes to payware. This could also be due to the gaming industry as a whole. There are now hundreds of early access games on Steam and other similar platforms. I've come to expect a certain standard of development from payware, because we have experienced such a high level of development from freeware developers. In a vacuum, PMDG creates a beautifully modeled project. But when you compare it to some freeware projects, it makes you scratch your head. Paying $70+ for a pretend plane, I know it's not going to be perfect...even though I wish it was....but the freeware community has shown me a proverbial 'line in the sand' when it comes to which products I'm willing to support, and which products I'm reluctant to give my money to.

Some of the projects I'm loosely speaking about are the MD11, E175, iniBuilds planes and scenery, the FENIX, and a few others. It seems like devs are just releasing things and fixing/adding to their products along the way. Now, I do appreciate that these products are being updated for free, however some of this is too little too late. I absolutely love the FENIX, even though I'm soooooo incredibly bored with Airbus. It's a fantastic plane, and you can feel the love and dedication they've put into it. But you can't successfully do a V1 cut. Most circuit breakers are modeled....but one of the most basic maneuvers we have to do in flight training can't be practiced. I could go on and on about other devs too, that was just an example that popped into my head. Not targeting any one developer specifically.

The reason freeware comes into play is, when comparing the payware from older generations of flight sim, we just "got what we got" and were generally happy with it. No EFB's, no Simbrief integration, no CPDLC, no extremely shiny high def models, didn't expect everything to work flawlessly, etc. Yeah there were some bad apples too, but far fewer, it seems like. We were generally contented with what we had, and most of our problems revolved around "affinity mask" and "bufferpools". Now that freeware has all of this stuff, personally I've come to expect this level of integration and fidelity from payware, as a base.

This got me thinking...what is the most feature complete payware airplane available in this context? Feature complete (to me) means not having to open any FS windows, not having to ALT+TAB, just being able to sit in the flight deck and have everything available to you through the plane itself, keeping you totally immersed all the while simulating the aircraft correctly. In my opinion, the PMDG 737 is now the most feature complete aircraft in MSFS, and here's why. Doors, chocks, aircraft options changeable on the fly, EFB (Navigraph integration, weather, & performance calculator), systems modeled (mostly) correctly, random and programmable failures, good handling, engine model, 3D model, realistic payload and fuel distribution, good performance...and the list goes on. Does it have everything? No, of course not, but it does touch everything that one could need during a flight. One could argue, that the Fenix is on par with the 737...but until the engine modeling is complete, (for me) it's just no there yet...

PMDG has managed to release 4 variants in less time than Fenix has had to work on one engine variant. I just don't get it. What because of engine development we can't even get a sharklets CFM version. geeze.

I do believe we have become extremely entitled since the launch of MSFS. I bet if you flew some of your favorite old FSX or P3D planes youd be shocked at how archaic and terrible they were compared to MSFS.

As a platform MSFS play with PMDG is brilliant. Not to leave out the great freeware Airbus's from Horizon are they PMDG quality no, similar to Aerosoft 320 Pro series but it is FREE. Thank you to all the freeware, vendors contributors on this platform that make our hobby as exciting as it is!

Some could argue (and they do) that freeware Zibo in Xplane in on par or even better than PMDG in P3D surely better than the MSFS version as far as a complete 737. A2A comanche and Leonardo MD82 are the best in MSFS as far as complete systems. FS Labs has the best Airliner of any sim but it's pricey.

Yes, we're spoiled with a plethora of add-ons. I'd argue that it's about time. Flight simming was in the doldrums for at least10 years, so it's great the hobby has finally been dragged into the third decade of this century.

I have bought several payware planes. I don't regret buying any of them except one. I just avoid what I don't like. There's a couple things I check before purchase which rules out a lot of them and I don't buy them and therefore don't have to experience buyer regrets.

Everybody has their likes and dislikes. Make a short list of things that aren't acceptable in any plane and then wait for the youtube video reviews and check on those specific things. I find this has almost always prevented disappointment. YT allows trying before buying. You can watch long flights in most any plane before purchase. There should not then be any nasty surprises, you know what you're getting in advance.

It depends a lot on how you define feature complete. Imho an airliner in sim will never be feature complete as they are more than highly complex and the devs have to abstract to some level. If you think of feature complete like in a real owner or pilot meets his sim aircraft and really all is working like you would expect in real world including correct wear and tear, then at least I would say there are only two planes in the msfs world giving you this full 100% enjoyment. And these are the a2a Comanche and FSReborns Sting S4. The latter you even can pull the BRS system in case of emergency. Treat both well and you have a nice flight. Otherwise you fail. Modern tubeliners are nice - and I fly them , too - but you are just managing their limited feature set.

The choices are so different, from A319 to the 787 (which has a range in excess of 15,000km). What kind of airliner flying do you like doing? Short range which gives the chance to get in lots of practice with approaches, landings, departures or ultra long haul where you can leave your PC on while you're sleeping and wake up to begin the descent and landing.

It's really very subjective and the aircraft listed vary in terms of size, age, quality and level of detail (i.e. study-level vs not). If you ask me, my next aircraft would be the A321 by Toliss because it fits my preference for level-of-detail, size, age, quality, etc.... It's probably best to watch reviews on each and every one ... tons of videos out there and you can judge for yourself.

Best Payware Airliner is what the title should be. I wont dog your love for airlines if you wont discriminate against our GA lol. They are aircraft as well...Probably the one's you will fly first in real life. Just saying.

The easiest way is to go to the x-plane.org.- store , choose the respective product pages, scroll down and click on the "more pictures here" link. You can also click on the "review" tab. there are very deteiled reviews from Stephen Dutton (XPlanereviews.com) with many pictures.

In defense of the OP, I too find it difficult to choose between aircraft that I'm unfamiliar with. I haven no airliners yet and would be hard pressed to read old threads to weed out everyone's opinion. I find the same is true of reviews that usually seem to focus on the best features of a plane rather than cold blooded criticism in many cases. A simple list with the question which is best seems straight forward. I would assume 'best' means which is the most realistic which is all I would care about. All the systems being simulated accurately along with the flight physics being the most real would sum it up nicely. To me, a review of a sim model by a non-real world pilot in that aircraft is not very valuable which leaves out quite a few sources for info. I actually find threads such as this one quite valuable. It took me quite a while to weed through quite a few aircraft before finding out the hard way only a handful are really worth buying.

Yes I agree about the Zibo 737-800 mod. It's truly excellent and it's freeware, which I still have a hard time believing! It's amazingly well done in realism and it's getting increasingly more real with each passing week, with updates usually several times a week. Zibo would be my first choice but it does lack a manual with some detail, so if one is not familiar already with a Boeing FMC for example, it will take time to search through posts to learn. But still, it's the most realistic 737NG series I have ever flown.

On a serious note, one of my favorites for the money (probably the cheapest at $49.95) is Flight Factor's Airbus A350. I am one of many that is still waiting with baited breath until they come out with an upgrade that finally includes the SIDS and STARS problem.

I've got the Zibo and have purchased the FF767 which is really good and I purchased the TBM900 which is amazing. I'm looking to buy a new airplane. I'm a real pilot having lots of airline and jet time. So, what's a great recommendation for me? I was hoping to find a nice airliner like a 787 or a350. How are the SSG E-Jets and 747-8?

Thank you so much!

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