Greetings.
Just a little question, i am really new to this but i want to start flying airliners down the line, would you recommend just starting with the default aircraft or just jump on something with all the bells and whistles right away?
Thx in advance 
I would say:
C172 â TBM930 â CJ4 â FlyByWire A320 â B747 or B787
Start small Cessna 152 or the Cessna 172, if you start with as you call it " wistle and bells" the chance off disapointment is verry real
You should definately buy the new Fenix release next week, and start learning to fly it with YouTube tutorials 
Just as learning to fly in the real world with real planes, start simple and work toward the complex. You will learn more about flight, navigation and the simulator in that way. @Bigcow74 and @TermedGuitar749 have good suggestions, IMO!
âŠand stick with planes with recognized good flight characteristics and avionics.
you can still learn without having to go through all the other airframes. It helps to understand flight simming as a hobby and learning aviation stuff but if airliners is what you want to do, theres nothing stopping you from diving into it.
however i would say if youâre new to it all, iâd take some time on the a320 with the fly by wire mod. This way youâre not completely overwhelmed by a plane with all the bells and whistles but you still get a good experience learning commercial aircraft.
Once youâre comfortable in the free stuff, pick up an airliner of your choice, you can continue your education with the Fenix a320 or change gears and learn a new plane with the 737 or any other high-fidelity aircraft. Not enough choice? Hang out for a while theyâll be some awesome planes coming through the pipe
Start small, ideally with the 172; itâs easy to fly and quite forgiving. In other words, learn to walk before you start running.
If youâre determined to dive straight into airliners, in the same vein Iâd say start with the stock A320, as itâs simpler because not all the systems are modelled.
But I still say the 172 first.
Flybywire a320neo definitely as long as you check out their website it has a beginners guide that runs you through step by step on how to get the plane up in the air and down againâŠbest of luck and happy flying.
It looks like most answers are about progressing from small to large aircraft, but I read your question as debating between a stock airliner vs third party/high fidelity airliner. I would suggest starting with stock just to learn the basics of how the sim handles. When ready to progress to a high fidelity model, chances are youâll have to learn how to control it all over again, but youâll be able to focus strictly on that without also learning basic game mechanics.
I am going to differ here. I would start with the PMDG 737 and do the tutorial as described in the manual. It really allows you to learn how to program the FMC which is crucial. Default aircraft can get you into some really bad habits BECAUSE itâs not a high fidelity aircraft. From what I recall, on default aircraft you donât even have to align IRS. If you get some abomination like the Bredok 737MAX, that one will hands down will require you to set up aircraft improperly - none of the startup sequence there makes any sense at all. Itâs important to understand the relationship between various systems of the aircraft. Itâs important to understand that in order to start engines, you need bleed air, etc. PMDG really walks you step by step through all of that and you will come out a more sensible operator because of it. Additionally, missed items like turning on packs will result in your cabin not being pressurized correctly for flight above 10,000 feet. Iâd say do it the right way the first time.
I agree, but I already forgotten how I was back in 2007, when I still do MSFS casually. But with YouTube hands-on video tutorials these days, things can be learned much quicker. Back then, going around with the default overly simplified jets will satisfy my urge to ârole-playâ as passenger and gawk at external views. But it got pretty boring very fast, and I suddenly feel the need to âchallenge myselfâ and find out whatâs out there for real.
Just like learning to drive cars, it is always suggested that you start with manual transmission cars first. So, I kind of agree to start with the real ones, if your goal is to get into proper airliner sim piloting experience.
Today though, a non-complete airliner will confuse me more than the simpler ones: âwhat, you need to start the APU but no need to turn off the packs (because it is not simulated) before starting the engine?â It is like trying to drive cars in GTA, just open the door and enter the car, it is automatically started and put in driving gear for you.
If you want to start with airliners straight away (which I fully understand; I skipped the GA planes as well when I started simming), Iâd recommend focusing on one particular aircraft and only switch to other planes once you feel confident. The Boeing 737 or the A320 are both good choices. Personally, Iâd start with the A320 - for two reasons: First, there are free versions, the somewhat simplistic default version to learn the very basics (using the autopilot, navigating, ILS approach etc) and the very good FlyByWire mod. Second, the workload is a bit less with an Airbus than a Boeing. If you like the plane and still want more system depth you could then move on to the payware Fenix A320 which is the most advanced A320 for MSFS atm. Thereâs excellent tutorials for beginners on the FlyByWire website and on Youtube.
If you donât want to spend money, try the A310 which is free and it is VERY good. It is in a completely different league compared to the default A320, 787 and 747, much closer to the PMDG 737 when it comes to realism / being âstudy levelâ.
Iâd suggest learning to setup and fly the CJ4 first (if you havenât already), because it will massively help you to understand and operate larger aircraft and when you make the switch to the airliners, you wonât be so overwhelmed.
Speaking for myself, I canât even imagine going back to when I started and hopping in a high fidelity airliner and learning to fly. I would be lost in all the procedures and checklists before getting to the runway. I would have no idea what VNAV and LNAV were and what to expect from them. I wouldnât understand instrument approaches, energy management⊠I would be a wreck (literally!).
if you are newbie in flying start where all pilots start. in a Cessna 172. there is a reason why everybody starts with a cessna.
after that try something more complex like Baron B58
then TBM930 for ex.
then start with learjets CJ4 or Longitude
dont start with airliners directly. my view.
the Airbus 320 FBW is very good, no need to buy Fenix or so. Boeing 737 yeah PMDG is great. free version is only the wide bodies ike 748 or 787. but again dont start directly with these.
cheers and happy landings !
Did the same thing, started small without any issues and now I am on the FBW A320, and I canât get the A/P out of selected mode because the push/pull arrow does not show. Any fix?
Join a group of fellow enthusiasts such as thepilotclub.org they are friendly, always willing to help, and have a virtual pilot schoolâŠ.
Wanna learn, this is the place, all free BTW with some real world pilots and instructorsâŠ
It depends on how realistically you want to learn how to fly. If you want to follow a curriculum that is similar to rw training, Iâd highly recommend VATSTAR (which is free). You can start with a virtual private pilotâs license and work your way up to Airline Transport Pilot.
If you do that, Iâd recommend starting with the free WB Sim/JP Logistics Cessna 152 mod. If you have the Deluxe or Premium Deluxe version of MSFS, the payware WB-Sim Cessna 172SP Enhancement would also be a good choice. In the rw it is more common to use a Cessna 152, but when av-gas is free, you could opt for what would otherwise be a more expensive aircraft. In that vein, Just Flightâs PA-28 Warrior II would be a good trainer if you would rather go the Piper route with a low-wing aircraft.
For a complex single, the most realistic choice running away is the A2A Simulations Piper Comanche. IMO, it has the most realistic flight model of any aircraft in the sim. It also features the ability to do a pre-flight walk-around, has realistic engine management as well as a realistic failure and maintenance model. Runner up would be the Just Flight PA-28R Arrow (or you could opt for the turbocharged version). Black Squareâs Steam Gauge Overhaul Analog A36 Bonanza would be another good choice. All of these are payware.
There isnât a good multi-engine trainer in the sim at the moment; the Piper Seminole is a trainer, but it is produced by Carenado so it isnât particularly realistic. The best light twins would either be the Blackbird Simulations (Milviz ) Cessna 310 or the Black Square Steam Gauge Overhaul Analog Baron. Both are payware and the Baron requires the Deluxe or Premium Deluxe version of MSFS.
For airliners, Iâd highly recommend the freeware Fly By Wire A32NX. It will offer a very realistic experience, but since it is free, it wonât cost you anything if you struggle with flying it. There is good documentation and plenty of tutorial videos to support it. If you like it, you could upgrade to the payware Fenix A320, which is the most realistic Airbus simulation available.
The iniBuilds A310 that is included with the MSFS 40th Anniversary update could also be a good choice as far as airliners go, but it is an older aircraft and it is only still being flown by a handful of more obscure airlines. Given its age, I suspect it would be a more difficult airliner to start with than an A320 variant as the systems will not be state-of-the-art. Still, it is free and there is a support forum for it and YouTube videos, so it is probably a viable option as a first airliner.
Alternatively, after flying the A32NX, you could make the jump to Boeing and PMDGâs extremely realistic Boeing 73X series. Their 736 is a steal at $34.99 (though it doesnât come with the additional models of its bigger siblings and it isnât as widely used in rw operations).
