Don’t forget that “default aircraft” are by definition, “default”. These aircraft have NEVER been better or more complete than payware aircraft. NEVER.
The funniest thing I see in the whole business concept is the pricing model that segregates the “normal” Skyhawk into a premium category. Like many GA lovers, I learned on a Skyhawk, and the A2A version of the 182RG was my payware go to in former versions. With this version, you just knew that after a while the payware community would provide.
And the payware aircraft become the only aircraft for me, because they most remind me of my real flying.
The flaws in the multiple tiered pricing model that segregates the normal Skyhawk into a premium category are:
- They must assume that GA pilots enjoy lingering in the premium airports. Hardly real, as we GA folks don’t need long runways, and don’t want to pay the fees associated with the big airports. So, I never use big airports.
- They must assume that GA pilots don’t care about loss of realism involved in flying default aircraft. Not true for anyone I know that loves GA flying.
In the first case, its the folks that simulate big iron that want the classy big airports with procedures, gates, etc. But if tha’s the market, why include the normal skyhawk? Big iron guys won’t want that one. The second concern seems borne out of lack of in depth knowledge of the history of simming and the skills of third party designers.
Truth is, I spent years as a scenery designer for 2 reasons. First, the default scenery was plain and generic (no longer true in this version). Second, since I was able to make some really nice scenery, but designing the world was too daunting, I made airports so that the vfr reporting points were visible, and something in the experience looked real. Also, no longer needed.
What I’ve learned in the last 6 months, having purchased the least expensive version of msfs, and being relegated to the C152, was that the scenery now allows for pilotage as a valid navigation method, and the scenery and weather engine are strikingly beautiful. The airports aren’t anymore the only beautiful thing. I don’t spend a great deal of time at any airport in real life, and I don’t feel a need to do so in the sim. So, I have less interest in the whole fancy airport thing.
Which leaves me wishing ONLY for the normal skyhawk, but I knew…I really knew, that spending less and being patient would pay off, and it did. Now, with the PA128 Arrow III from Just Flight, I have all I could ever want (at least to date). I got the parts of the sim that really matter to a GA pilot for the lowest cost, and the expensive payware aircraft is the one I would fly no matter what else I’d put money toward.
So for about the same money as GA folks spent to fly the normal skyhawk, I’m flying the most amazing payware aircraft available to date for this sim.
There is science behind establishing a good multiple tiered pricing model, and the wise marketing group assures the tiers make sense for both the business and the customers, and there MUST be a way to avoid customers making an end run, through a secondary market for the missing items, as in this case. The inclusion of the most common and prolific GA aircraft in the world configured as most GA pilots expect has no place in the high price tier. It can’t be a huge motivator for anyone who has flown payware aircraft before, and found their default planes gathering dust. Its just too certain that a “better than” will come along.