I still wonder if giving extra points, say 3, to your number one plane, might be a good thing. Maybe when you compile results this weekend, you can try it and see what happens?
While I like the idea, people havenāt always voted in order because of the scoring.
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I have been following the top 5 aircraft and now the top 10 since its inception but have never posted. So I figured Iād finally contribute. First a brief background about me. Iāve been flying flight sims since around '82, but MSFS 2020 is the first civilian flight sim that I have purchased 3rd party aircraft, scenery or add ons for. I am not a real-world pilot; and, in fact, the smallest fixed wing airplane I have ever been in is about the size of a Dash 8-100. Here is my aircraft list.
-
737-700, Precision Manuals Development Group (PMDG).
A) PMDG is legendary for producing high quality āstudyā level aircraft. This was the very first 3rd party Aircraft I purchased for a civilian flight simulator. It is absolutely amazing and does not disappoint.
B) PMDG was the first to introduce a functional vertical navigation system (VNAV) into a flight management system (FMS)/ flight management computer (FMC) in a commercial airliner for MSFS 2020. This is a must feature when programing a standard instrument departure (SID) or a standard terminal arrival route (STAR), and when Iām on the live ATC network āvirtual air traffic simulationā (Vatsim).
C) Even with its complex systems it is still Frame rate friendly, and I fly exclusively in VR.
D) One can buy this great aircraft for only $35 US dollars in the 737-600. Has all the same features as the 700 or 800 series. -
Cessna 310R, Blackbird/Milviz Simulations.
A) Save state mode. All the settings, switches, radio and nav frequencies are remembered so that next time you enter the aircraft it is the way you left it. Very realistic when at ones favorite airport, and when Iām on the Vatsim network.
B) Fabulous sound package from the engines, switches, fans etc.
C) Realistic wear and tear. Makes one treat this bird with kid gloves, and actually keep a tab on those engine gauges etc. The exterior of the fuselage will get dirty over time as well. -
Kodiak 100, Simworks studios (SWS).
A) Having a highly detailed turbo prop aircraft is a great addition to my hangar.
B) Great audio package, especially for turbine engine startup.
C) The phenomenal Garmin G1000NXI, originally overhauled by Working Title (WT), which is now standard in MSFS with its fully functional vertical navigation system (vnav) makes this an outstanding platform for both instrument flight rules (IFR) navigation; and when Iām flying on the Vatsim network. I dont have time to calculate descent time and angles when trying to talk to live ATC at the same time. -
Cessna 172 Classic, Asobo Deluxe, Premium Deluxe editions.
A) No flight simulator would be complete without the steam/analog gauges Cessna 172, which is one reason I chose to purchase the Deluxe edition of MSFS 2020.
B) The updated Garmin gns430/530 from Working Title (WT), which is now standard in MSFS, makes this a great visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR) aircraft. -
Cessna 414AW, Flysimware.
A) Amazing sound and systems depth. -
EMB-110 Bandeirante, Nextgen Simulations with Jaydeeās Improvement Mod 2.0 from flightsim.to
A) A well done twin turbo prop with steam/analog gauges. I purchased this during a half price sale for $20 US dollars before the Analog King Air 350i version came out.
B) A must have. The free improvement Mod from Jaydee transformed this release from an OK aircraft into a great one. The Mod fixed the sound issue since now it uses the sound pack from the default Asobo King Air 350. It also improved flight dynamics and startup procedures. -
Cessna CJ4, Asobo with Working Title (WT) free MOD.
A) Again, another great improvement over the default Asobo CJ4 by Working Title (WT) with its total revamp of the flight managment system (FMS) and a fully functional VNAV system.
B) As in real life, the startup procedure on this aircraft is simple. Makes for getting a business passenger jet ready to taxi fast from a cold and dark state. -
Airbus A320, FlyByWire Simulations (FBW) Experimental version.
A) An amazing free Airbus airliner (A32NX).
B) I specify the āExperimentalā version since right now that is the only version from FBW that has a functional vnav system.
C) Download the āFlyByWire installerā. This will automaticly install any of the three versions of the A320 (stable, development or experimental).
I know that many of you on this thread are old school fly by the seat of your pants VFR pilots. I also like to do VFR flying in a simple general aviation (GA) aircraft. I also wanted to learn the complex systems of a modern airliner and be able to fly airport approaches, departures (SIDS) and arrivals (STARS). It can be a steep learning curve, but it is well worth it. It is a great reward to program an entire flight from start to finish and have your airliner follow not only the lateral flight plan (LNAV) put also the vertical navigation (VNAV). As Austin Powers would say āItās quite invigoratingā.
Iāll list a few addons I purchased for MSFS, that have greatly added to my immersion of the sim.
A) Pilot2ATC, is a stand alone program that realistically simulates real ATC both IFR and VFR. A great feature as well is that one actually talks (using your own words) to talk to the ATC/program. It was a terrific learning tool for me to start on Vatsim.
B) PMS GTN750 Garmin navigation system, at PMS50.COM. This addon purchase makes programing a IFR flight plan easier than the now standard Garmin gtn430/530. This addon can be used in just about any plane that uses the Garmin GTN 430/530.
C) Navigraph, at navigraph.com. Get up to date charts for any airport in the world, from airport diagrams to approaches, SIDS and STARS. Great for both VFR and IFR flying.
D) Vatsim. This of course is a free online live ATC network. Most people do not know this, but you can actually be on the Vatsim network without being on the network. Meaning you can see and hear anyone on the network (pilots or ATC) but no one can see you. One can do this by connecting to the system through āobserverā mode. Iāll be the first to admit though, Iām still a novice on the network, and still feel nervous talking to the live ATC.
5 Likes
Enjoyed reading your post and list!
I wasnāt aware of this addon, does it work good using your own voice, almost on par with live ATC?
Havenāt tried Vatsim yet, are controllers available even for general aviation flights from small airports (like with PilotEdge) or is Vatsim mostly for commercial flights from major airports?
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LOL, well first-off, you need to lower your trust in my knowledge of āthings realā a notch or two 
Of course I have never flown a real one. Never even heard of it or seen a photo of one until GF published those first teasers. The only thing with a stick Iāve been in (and did hand-fly myself for a few minutes just doing some basic turns) was a kit-made microlight, it was many years ago but it was a central stick controlled one (I mean a shared single joystick between left and right seats). Donāt know which one it was although he did tell me all about it, but I canāt remember. I canāt remember how it felt either.
All I can say is, using XP Force software plugin (when it worked, which it doesnāt any more since my vsync fix!), I much prefer it to a totally inert stick. It adds a nice extra element to your senses. It probably (surely) isnāt ārealā at all, but I still like it. Itās more interesting and it DOES give you some subtle feedback where it matters - in pitch trim being neutral at varying speeds. And it does kind of go light at the peak of a climb when airspeed drops towards a stall, and it does āswingā to a stronger force in banking if you bank hard from one direction to the other as opposed to āeasing inā the change of direction. So there is some nice variability there that brings a bit more life to what youāre feeling. No idea if itās correct, or totally wrong but for me itās better. When it worked
Now I will say, we (me and some other users of XPF) discovered there is a BIG BUG in the software, and I have been trying to contact the developer as it would be a really quick fix for him to implement, but have not heard backā¦ so that is not good. Looks like he works for Laminar Research now. I am a bit annoyed as it means the PITCH forces are actually REVERSED so that is totally wrong but I have found settings for each plane type that nullifies the āwrongnessā to some degree so itās acceptable, but it would be SO MUCH better if we had this fixed. I will persevere but doesnāt look good. There are 2 more alternatives for the plugin. One has not been updated for 2 years (didnāt try it) and one is working fine and reliable, but is not as good in the things it does (Air Force Player)ā¦ but itās free. Might be my only option if I canāt get XPF working again lol.
Yeah, Helicopters is a good use case. But not the only one! If you go ahead Iām happy to talk you through my settings / findings or just send you my profile(s) but there is no point going into detail here now as it wonāt make sense. Just to say I found that if you put ALL the sliders to zero (friction / forces etc), there is actually a weird feeling around the centre where as soon as you push in any direction, it āpushesā a tiny bit more in that direction before being 100% loose again. But as you said, they are not really 100% loose - there is some resistance in the system, and I have found good settings where itās equal force everywhere but very light and removes this weird little thing around the middle. Itās really accurate I find. But I have not tried any Uber-expensive regular sticks with which to compare.
No, not at all - the stick is NOT aware of anything the plane/copter is doing that isnāt exposed in the SimConnect variables, so it only knows the basics. It does NOT react to turbulence or anything like forces on control surfaces as that data is simply not there for it to know. Maybe one day they will add proper native FFB support!
Itās a great stick - for the price you can get them itās a total bargain. Iād recommend trying it. You can always probably sell it again for the same price you paid for it! Very well built and doesnāt feel āoldā at all. Even looks pretty cool for an old bit of kit. Iām glad I have one spare in storage but I doubt this thing is going to die any time soon 
Hope that helps - happy to talk in DM if you want to know anything else.
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No, the way I have seen the tables evolve here, we donāt need it. This way is better - doesnāt need an āinflationā thing going on 
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Thanks for that!
Added to the sheet
My top five account for probably 90% of my flying, and the Beaver gets the most time, by far within that group:
- DHC-2 Beaver
- Kodiak 100
- Cessna 310R
- Cirrus Vision Jet
- Cessna 414AW
The remainder are more novelty planes for me, used mostly as photo props or an occasional flight of fancy, but lacking (for me) one or more things that would make it a daily flyer:
- Douglas DC-6
- BAE 146
- BS Analog Caravan
- BS Analog King Air
- Pasped Skylark
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Anyone tried the new JP Logistics Cessna, updated today? Itās actually quite sublime. Especially considering itās free!
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Not yet. Will do on Monday - not flying this weekend
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It was already a lovely plane. Now after the update it is a good payware plane for free.
For you Wilga and war history buffs. At first I confused the Wilga with the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, a STOL airplane used in WWII. In fact, the Wilga is used in movies as a āstand-inā for the Storch since they look so much alike.
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Thanks for the heads-up on this. Iāve spent all afternoon in it, itās fantastic.
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Put my total up to 10 with these 2:
F35 and the Searey.
Probably completely change next month as I experiment with more aircraft.
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My last list was the longest post I have made on these forums. I figure my posts will get longer as the year progresses. So I will start small.
- Kodiak
- Cessna 310
- Tiger Moth
- Hellcat
- Flying Iron Spitfire
- Vision Jet
- DC-6
- Got Friends Edgley Optica
- F-35
- Big Radials Goose
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Thatās very restrained of you
Just tell us why the F-35 rather than any of the other supersonic modern miljets?
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Because I own it! 
I donāt own a bunch of military jets yet. I imagine some are better but not in my hangar.
It did receive a BIG update recently that brought the Xbox version up to the PC versionās feature set, and it feels much better to fly. I gotta say IndiaFoxtEcho does a great job updating their planes in the long term even if they donāt always release in tip top form.
Beautiful model.
I am on Xbox so sometimes it is just fun to sit on my couch and get my GTA on. Fly through the world like it is an arcade game.
It can super cruise and cover some major distances quickly. And it can land anywhere. I am always watching my fuel because it can be a gas guzzler in certain conditions and quite efficient in others.
For smiles per hour and fun, arcade style flying it rivals barnstorming in the Tiger Moth.
The recent build has it feeling more real and weighted than it did before. I worry, being a new jet, the systems modeling is not as accurate as older planes but devs sometimes have to make their best guesses and the F-35 does feel like it is getting there.
I cannot say it is the best fighter jet in sim, but it is my favorite that I currently own. The new F-14 has me interested, and if that new F-22 comes to XBOX I will likely grab it. But for now, the F-35 is my favorite military jet in my hangar.
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Here is my first top ten for 2023:
- Tiger Moth by Ant - incredible value at the asking price. A fantastic module that feels close to the real thing. A pleasure to fly low and slow.
- Spitfire Mk.IX by FlyingIron, the recent update has improved an already great module.
- FlyingIron F6F-5 Hellcat, like their Spitfire, this is an excellent module. It exudes power.
- IndiaFoxtEcho M-346, an excellent module with a top class flight model.
- Blackbird/Milviz Cessna 310R - itās saved state option makes it a really immersive module
- Just Flight Piper PA-28 Turbo Arrow III - remains a favourite for me.
- Just Flight Hawk T.1 - JF are working on the flight model which will improve an already good module.
- Asobo Local Legend #5 Beech 18 - fair better than I was expecting.
- Big Radials Grumman Goose - very atmospheric
- Asobo Husky A-1C - a great little short field module
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If I had it to do over, I would add the Bird Dog. Ah well. Letās call it an honorable mention. I am so happy I finally got that one. It just feels right in my hands.
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Concorde is fantastic even given the price. Lots and lots switches and buttons, mach 2 and change never looked so good. Low speeds wing effects are awesome.
I really want the spitfire. The Merlin
But all those little planes no matter how slow I ramp throttle or what I do like to spin out and itās ā ā ā ā near impossible for me to take off in one and I hate starting airborne. I have the p51 but I know the spitfire will be better.
I want the f16 and f15 but.as they are basically the only military jets I donāt own, but I donāt know if Iāll fly them alot given what Iāve been flying a lot of lately. Prolly 90/10 big jumbo jets like a318/319/embraer and then some harrier f35 f22 f14 etc.
Figure Iāll save the money for after the wasm update for the osprey and bae146 etc.
Get the Concorde. Itās worth it.