It’s been a while since I’ve done this, here goes:
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FFX Cirrus VisionJet - The improvements to this with the integration of the G3000, and the mission profiles make me keep wanting to come back for more. Wanna fly low? Take on some short fields? Go high and cruise up in the jetstream? Full IFR and staying on top of a panel that is meant for a single-pilot. Love the interior presets, it really does feel like you’re loading up for a family vacation. Let’s go!
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A2A Comanche - rockstar out of the gate. Would take first place, but there are a few things I can’t quite put my finger on. Suffice it to say every aircraft should incorporate the walkaround feature, a hands-down, full-fledged must going forward.
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Blackbird Cessna 310R - Hasn’t let me down. Always a good sportscar, fitting many mission profiles, but you have to treat her nicely
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Black Square Analog King Air - Crept up the list as a very solid turboprop, fitting many mission profiles and keeps you active enough that you can’t fall asleep on her.
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Carenado Archer II - A plane I fly often in real life, it is a very simple and accurate representation. A great plane to take out for a leisurely cruise and to practice maneuvers.
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C172 G1000 (+ Bagolu G1000 Improvement) - A classic. Also very representative of an aircraft I fly. Great for practicing flows with the G1000. Easy to just hop in and go without much pretense
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C172 Steam (+WBSim Classic Enhanced) - Like it’s G1000 sister, just wants to be flown. Great for simstruction; showing people the old-school way of flying, navigating, instrument scans, etc.
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Black Square Analog Bonanza - bumped the JustFlight Arrow off the list as a solid complex, high-performance cruiser. Various panel integrations mean lots of fun doing different configurations while IFR.
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PMDG 737-700 - list would be incomplete without this. Sadly, I don’t get enough time in this one as she doesn’t fit my usual mission profile, but she’s too good, too solid of a simulation to leave out
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JustFlight Fokker F28 - a new contender. Newness factors in here, but everything about her is fun and makes me want to come back for more. A handful to keep up with, but doable as a single pilot with a nice vintage panel and great sounds. A little more flexible with my preferred short-hop profile. Will be exploring more.
Honorable Mention (and opportunity)
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DHC-2 Beaver, currently flying on my Roads Less Traveled Series. Fun to fly, well-crafted, and very full-featured, but doesn’t fit my usual profile. Would like a much more robust radial sound, inside and out.
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Carenado PC-12 - mission-profile is great, one of my favorite IRL aircraft, version is just a little old and ported, would like more features, and always leery of the Avidyne frame drops. But when she works well, she works well.
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Got Friends Wilga - just haven’t been bush flying enough to make use of her. Strong opportunity to move up if/when I get back to regular Bush Flying
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XCub - also a perennial favorite that just hasn’t been out of the hangar much lately. Would really like to see Working Title get hold of the G3X and bring it up to standards. Until then, a little cartoonish, but can’t be beat as a bushplane, performance-wise.
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Kodiak 100 - just off the end of the list due to disuse. A great model and panel, just isn’t quite fast enough for an everyday cruiser with that profile. Will probably make it back in someday.
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JustFlight Arrow III - also just off the end of the list due to some aerodynamic issues. Probably the most likely to fly frequently out of all the honorable mentions. Fights hard against the Bonanza.