I see comments about whether certain aircraft are ‘study level’ or not. My inference was that it meant realistic enough to train for real with. Are there any specific criteria for this or is it just a subjective view? In terms of general flying I’d say FS2020 itself is already a indispensable training aid - and so is study level.
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No because the realistic modelling of flight is not there yet. There’s so much wrong (and some right) that it doesn’t quite simulate the real thing. And of course, the instruments of most aircraft out of the box are inadequate.
But take a PMDG or A2A aircraft or the new JF Pipers - they’re pretty close so they can be used to study. The recent DC6, for example, needs intense study of the manual to get it to operate properly.
I’m sure there will be loadsa comments on this!
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We should have at least able to fly an aircraft which should work as it should be or close to it in this sim or game otherwise talking about the study level aircrafts is just wasting time.
@basatasa
It’s very subjective.
E.g. the default C152 is IMO sufficient for acceptable realistic training and I have no idea what could be ‘study level’ on such an aircraft with almost zero systems, IRL and in the sim.
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In some aspects already better/more realistic than either Xplane and P3D could ever be, other stuff related to aerodynamics is yet to be integrated, which makes it incomplete yet, but not to a degree that some people here claim, there’s a lot of exaggeration in this forum. It is basically a matter of time, but we will undoubtedly get there.
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I fully agree!
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I don’t understand this argument, neither P3D’s nor Xplane’s defaults are study level. How is this considered a knock against MSFS?
Back to OP’s point, study level is just a marketing tagline, no real pilots are going to get rated just off commercial simulators.
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This is soooo annoying. How many decades did it take x-plane to become barely acceptable realistic?
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The details have been discussed extensively in the respective threads, you find all details there, and since you’re criticising this aspect, I take it you know what’s missing, making your question a rethorical one not worth delving into. Remember, you can always use other software that fulfills your needs if you’re not happy, that’s all there is to say. Cheers
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Off Topic.
@basatasa imo a “study level” plane is one you can use to learn how the real plane works, so when you get to a “real” simulator you would be able to fly it mostly fine.
As far as I am concerned PMDG planes are 100% study level, just like FF’s a320 for Xplane-11
Maybe this has changed in later years, but their old 747, MD-11 and Jetstream were definitely not study level.
How many years did it take PMDG until the FD on the 737 could be used for manual flying?
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Study Level for the home user is typically in regarding to the systems and procedures in the aircraft working as they would in real life, something acceptable for IFR training.
if you are to practically use anything for training assistance you’ll need to build a home cockpit so that you develop proper muscle memory with the layout. It’s important to not implement negative training. I forget which airliner YT’er I recently watched who brought this up due to playing simulators at home while being grounded due to covid.
What i’m really dying for is an affordable control loading yoke! (around $600 would be a nice start) Not having feedback on trim is what makes flying at home so difficult!
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Yep, I can totally vouch for being used to the lack of force feedback in our controllers was the hardest thing to overcome when I went in a real 737 sim.
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My impression “study level” is simply a term is used to justify your hobby to your family and friends as more than a game and something more akin to doing a law degree than say playing Minecraft . It means you are doing something serious with some weight to it, an activity that has gravitos and commands a level of respect that mere “games” do not have.
Or … it might just be a marketing term to justify spending the insane money sometimes charged.
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study level means the simulation is as real as it can be…
I agree, that some flightmodels still need work, no doubt.
BUT, if you really try to learn how to fly on a PC you will run into trouble.
Learning procedures, how the instrument works, how navigation works and more is absolutely possible with MSFS. So, yes, MSFS is kinda “study level”. If you do it right and actually try to learn things, it can help you a lot in flight school.
But the flying part can never be replaced by a software while sitting on an office chair. 
And thats why i dont bother too much about the handling of a plane anymore. When i fly the default C172 (steam gauge) i would say im doing it on a “study level”.
I have my real world checklist ready and handle everything as i do IRL.
I do the flight planning part as i would do IRL.
I have my visual VFR charts ready as i have IRL.
I respect the Airspaces. (unfortunately ATC is terrible but i do it as i would IRL)
I even set the transponder code and Radio frequency correct when flying into a TMZ (transponder mandatory zone) even if MSFS ATC doesnt know abou that 
etc…
So, everything i do, is almost exactly as IRL and therefore “study level”. Even if the default C172 can not be considered “study level” (whatever it means is individually anyway…)
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I have to disagree here. “Study Level” was not coined by marketers. The term grew out of the hobby itself. When an aircraft has all/most of the systems accurately modelled to the point where it is possible for users to learn the real world procedures and flows required to make it work, then it qualifies as study level. That was the original meaning. Over the years it has been watered down and hijacked for multiple purposes, but for serious users the original requirement still stands.
A fully modelled hydraulic system, accurate electrical system, fully operational avionics package, operational bleed air, etc. All are the kind of things users interested in learning all the complex systems and their relationships need to have before considering an aircraft to be study level.
To date we have not had a sim that modelled atmospheric effects and flight characteristics well enough for any instructor worth their salt to recommend airmanship practice in a personal sim. I have suggested to students, that own a sim, to concentrate on the checklists and understand what does what. Learning to properly handle the systems and good cockpit management, procedure flow in a sim is infinitely less expensive than learning it in the aircraft.
Many years ago we used poster board replicas of our cockpits to familiarize ourselves with the cockpit and to mimic the checklist flow to improve cockpit efficiency. I guess that would be the beginning of cockpit simulation. 
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What you are describing, I think, is not so much what defines a study level sim as much as defining a study level of attention. What you are doing could literally be done sitting in a big cardboard box, like we did as kids. Following all the real world steps for flight preparation and navigation. You can use a stop watch and a map to ‘virtually’ track your way to your destination. What you are doing is commendable and I take nothing away. It is what makes our hobby “fun” and engaging.
The bonus is when you have an aircraft that will give you accurate feedback through your instruments, allowing you to navigate with them as you would IRL. Most default aircraft will give you that, so I will give you that the “sim” is nearly study level up to that point. I believe what separates default and similar aircraft from “study level” is when you forget to manage one of the systems properly, something goes terribly wrong. Like not monitoring turbine temps properly and having an engine burn up. Or not adjusting mixture properly and overheating or fouling the plugs in that single mill now losing power as you try to climb over the mountain in front of you.
Yes, we can have a study level sim (one day), study level aircraft and even study level pilots like @HXArdito. Each one with their own definition.
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In the 80s and 90s there were a fair few combat flight sims that modelled a bunch of planes to a reasonable level and then there were the sims that only modelled a specific airplane in greater detail. The former were called survey sims to emphasise the fact they were a broad survey of several planes and the latter were called study sims because they were a detailed study of a specific plane.
These days the terms don’t really mean what they used to and survey isn’t really used at all. Study level just means any plane in a simulator that’s modelled to a high detail in its systems and flight model and is basically just a bit of a buzzword when you get down to it. But it kinda does emphasise the fact that you need to study documentation (or these days youtube videos I guess) to get the most out of them.
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