2020 172 or 2024 172?

User Support Hub Aircraft & Systems
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1

Please add the msfs-2020 or msfs-2024 tag to your post, depending on which sim your post is about.

I need some advice from the real 172 pilots out there… I’ve just made a quick performance comparison between the C172 of MSFS 2020 and the one in MSFS 2024. In the same airport with same weather conditions.

The 2020 172 climbs easily at a VS of 900 and 85-90 knots. Its climbing is nice and stable.

The 2024 172 hardly gets 75 knots climbing at a VS of 500. Even the slightest movement makes her lose speed and is balancing all the time.

Someone please tell me which one is the most close to real life. And if the answer is the 2020, then the career mode is completely broken, because almost every early mission is done with this aircraft.

Thanks.

2

Are you retracting the flaps? Career mode likes to start you at flaps 10, which those values sound about right for.

3

The problem arises in free flight mode. The performance of each aircraft is completely different. And in career mode is problematic because you have to do things in a certain way or you’ll be dinged, and this version of the C172 lacks a lot of flexibility. I’ve crashed more times during the career than in all my flights in MSFS 2020 with the same aircraft.

4

You can find performance figures online easily, for example here:

See page 3.

Based on that, the 2024 numbers look more accurate to me, assuming the weight is about the same as in the PDF.

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5

Thanks, @Aeluwas . You’re right, those figures seem closer to the 2024 version. All right, it’s like going back to school again.

6

I only have about 120 hours in the C172 so I’m sure there are others who with more hours that can give their opinion, but the the 2024 is definitely a better flight model and not as feathery feeling as fs2020. You can feel the weight of the plane more. However it still needs some tweaking and fixes. I have sent in some requests that hopefully they will address.

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