Best Desktop or Laptop Flight Sim?

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aviationluver

Filing Flight Plan
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If you really want the best, most realistic Flight Sim which allows easy to download airplanes, what would you go for?

I'm willing to pay for a good one. I've got Microsoft FSX but it's getting old.

What about XPlane?

I really need one that works with a Saitek Joystick and works well on a laptop.

Your two cents?
 
X-Plane 10, without a doubt in my mind.

Simulation is mostly realistic.
Add-ons are a breeze to install.
Large, open-source community.
and more.

Note: I only use online simulation for instrument and procedural flying.
 
Unless you have the latest gaming laptop Id stay off Xplane as kickass as it is .... its pretty needy software.

I have the latest rendition of FSX from Lockheed (P3) but . I find to to be much more user friendly and the graphics are far better than X-Plane. A payware quality add-on will have nearly dead on flight characteristics.
 
+1 xplane, but I have a special rig and saitek Cessna controller set so a bit more than your average flight sim with joystick or keyboard.


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I like Xplane but, as posted above, it is pretty intense on the hardware side.
 
I own both Xplane 9 and 10, but prefer Xplane 9 because its not as demanding on my old graphics card. I use a modified CH Products yoke(I took the springs out and added rubber bànds. Makes for a more fluid action.) but when I fly a Cub, I use a Saitek stick. I don't fly fighters so I've never actually tested it for sensitivity, but it handles the low and slow Cub just fine.
 
For me, a crucial feature of MS FSX is the Flight Analysis mode. It lets you replay your flight in rapid motion, with simultaneous map and profile views (including display of LOC and GS areas). When I practice instrument procedures, that mode lets me review how well I flew the session.

Last I checked, I couldn't find a similar feature in X-Plane. Does it exist yet?
 
I think X-Plane 10 does have something like that. It has full replay capabilities with ff and rw and the local map can show your flight track and elevation profile over time. Also you can turn down the graphic options to get it running smoothly on lesser hardware. The sim is far superior than fsx in how it models flight. It actually calculates the airflow over each aerodynamic surface. Fsx just interpolates how the plane should operate from a lookup table.

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Skystream said:
I think X-Plane 10 does have something like that. It has full replay capabilities with ff and rw and the local map can show your flight track and elevation profile over time.
Click to expand...

I recall seeing the flight path displayed as a line in 3D over the terrain. But does it have a mode with separate map/track view and elevation profile view, with both displayed simultaneously as the flight replays?
 
I just recently got back in to the sim stuff again. With A2A Simulations add on aircraft, specifically the Comanche, the detail and realism is phenomenal. I'm using the Saitek yoke, throttle and rudder pedals, with Microsoft FS stream. There is some great new scenery add-ons as well. I just downloaded Friday Harbor and it is amazing!!
dxxsuc.jpg


mihyxy.jpg
 
I currently use FSX with the A2A Accusim add-on aircraft. I use it to keep current (not legally but practically) for my IR.
 
acrophile said:
I recall seeing the flight path displayed as a line in 3D over the terrain. But does it have a mode with separate map/track view and elevation profile view, with both displayed simultaneously as the flight replays?
Click to expand...
Yes it does. Open up local map from menu, click the "replay" box to display the replay controls, and click the slope checkbox to see the altitude profile.

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comanche pilot said:
I just recently got back in to the sim stuff again. With A2A Simulations add on aircraft, specifically the Comanche, the detail and realism is phenomenal. I'm using the Saitek yoke, throttle and rudder pedals, with Microsoft FS stream. There is some great new scenery add-ons as well. I just downloaded Friday Harbor and it is amazing!!
dxxsuc.jpg


mihyxy.jpg
Click to expand...
A2A does do a good job. They do it by building their own engine and bypasses fsx flight engine. They essentially tell fsx where the plane is and it's orientation. For X-Plane check out Carenado's planes. Awesome quality.

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Skystream said:
Yes it does. Open up local map from menu, click the "replay" box to display the replay controls, and click the slope checkbox to see the altitude profile.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll give it a try.
 
mkosmo said:
I love p3d, but the xplane flight model seems more accurate.
Click to expand...

All the default flight models in both sims leave plenty to be desired.

The A2A Cherokee, 172, and Comanche for FSX/P3D are absolutely killer.

If you want to actually use the sim to practice real world procedures, getting an A2A plane is a must IMO.
 
Skystream said:
A2A does do a good job. They do it by building their own engine and bypasses fsx flight engine. They essentially tell fsx where the plane is and it's orientation. For X-Plane check out Carenado's planes. Awesome quality.

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Click to expand...

Carenado's products are nothing more than polished turds. They look shiny, but hardly any systems are modeled properly. The PC-12 is way off.

I do use their C90B quite a bit, though.
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
Carenado's products are nothing more than polished turds. They look shiny, but hardly any systems are modeled properly. The PC-12 is way off.

I do use their C90B quite a bit, though.
Click to expand...
Disagree. Carenado's 172II is spot on.

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I'm going to try A2A's Cherokee 180.

I've been using the "stock" 172 in FSX and I've tried to tweak the settings so it's "more" realistic, but it's still very far off.

I tried XPlane and my laptop won't even run it. Seems to do fine with FSX though.
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
I'll take a look at it when I get home, but I'm really talking about more complex aircraft with more than just the basics.
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That's rather vague. What exactly do you want to fly? There are certainly many very complex aircraft with advanced systems modelling available. Maybe do a Google search for your aircraft of choice to see what is available and find some reviews.

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I have both X-Plane 10 and Prepar3d and X-Plane 10 is the most realistic in flight dynamics.

Below is a link to when I built my own flight sim:
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75614

It was original a 6 pack style with Saitek hardware running X-Plane.
2_zps7577d32c.jpg


I have since changed my setup to G1000 running Prepar3d because the only G1000 emulator maker for X-Plane is FlyThisSim and they discontinued their consumer version (which costed $300) and now makes you buy their commercial version is costs in the thousands.

Here's a quick video:
https://www.facebook.com/john.li.37853/videos/10153229784992880/?l=442497960089373928

Both Sim softwares can connect to ForeFlight via Wifi and all Geo Reference maps, plates and taxi diagrams work as if you are for real.
 
Whichever you choose, I suggest you subscribe to the professional ATC service at https://www.pilotedge.net/ - it's great.

Owning both X-Plane and MSFS: there are some issues with X-Plane where you can't get the resolution and font sizes right on a 3200 pixels laptop screen, rendering it unusable :(
 
dukeblue219 said:
Yes, it's way more powerful than you need actually. That's a very high-end PC with a moderately high-end graphics card. It'll play something like X-Plane 10 with virtually everything maxed out I suspect.
Click to expand...

and is the price fair?
 
as long as we're on Sim topic:

any recommendations on sim controls?
CH vs Saitek vs other
 
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Badger said:
and is the price fair?
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It's pretty reasonable for what you're getting. If nothing else you can generally be pretty sure that a Costco price isn't a ripoff.

If you have heavy video/photo uses for that machine other than X-Plane then it may be what you need. Or maybe you just want it to be very "future-proof." But if that's more than you want to spend you can get a $500 PC and throw a $250 graphics card in it and be just fine. It's not like 15 years ago when a $1000 PC would be obsolete in a year.

Any recent i5 or i7 CPU, at least 8GB of RAM, and a high-end graphics card are all you need. The SSD is well worth it instead of (or paired with) a mechanical hard disk, but by no means required for gaming.
 
Badger said:
as long as we're on Sim topic:

any recommendations on sim controls?
CH vs Saitek vs other
Click to expand...

I've used both and I think the Saitek is a little better. I have their yoke and throttle quadrant. The digital timer on the yoke is nice for practicing IFR stuff. Rudder pedals are a toss up.. useless for anything but ground ops.
 
Don't forget www.pilotedge.net once you get set up. It's on-line virtual live controllers so you can practice Instrument and regular flights with the added stress of talking to someone. I added a $20 headset from Fry's (looks like a Bose) and it works like a charm!

Also, there are threads elsewhere here...I set mine up to enable Foreflight on iPad. Works exactly as it does in the cockpit.
 
I know of the ability to use foreflight with xplane, is it possible to use it with FSX somehow as well? This would help significantly with the realism.
 
P3D is a slightly fixed-up version of FSX and is a widely accepted platform with a lot of add-ons, support etc. And it is not that expensive.
It works with Saitek accessories very well (just like FSX) and can be configured easily.

I tried X-plane once but gave up after several hours of attempts to make it work with a simple joystick, let alone a Saitek setup. The learning curve there is much steeper.

On a laptop, P3D or FSX (which you can easily purchase used for $5) would be better, IMO.
But the ultimate decision is yours.
 
X-Plane 10 also pairs with ForeFlight over my wireless signal. This allows me to really get good use out of my EFB when not flying.
 

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Cpt_Kirk said:
X-Plane 10 also pairs with ForeFlight over my wireless signal. This allows me to really get good use out of my EFB when not flying.
Click to expand...
You should also be able to pair it up with fsx and p3d. You can also have them drive Android devices with mock locations for Android efb consumption.
 
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