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ifly 737 vs pmdg 737


sebfsx

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They are two completely different packages, if you ask me. The only common element is the fact that the NG is simulated. If you want the ability to simulate the NG as close to the real thing as is currently possible, with failure simulation, wear and tear, and so on, then you only have one real choice: PMDG. If you do not want this additional level of depth, you can safely choose both, as you are not forced to run the PMDG NGX in failure mode.

I would read a couple of reviews. There are plenty covering the iFly already. There have been a couple of reviews already of the PMDG too. It all boils down to what you want from your simulation time, a decision only you can make. I am not going to recommend the one or the other. Read the reviews and decide for yourself.

Andrew

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Good advice from Andrew. However, I know how frustrating it can be when trying to get information about a new addon. The problem with your question is that it has been asked a million times! So I will try and answer it as best I can, with as much objectivity as possible. So please remember these are my own experiences and opinions.

Having flown both and own both aircraft I can say unequivically, in my view, the PMDG is a far more immersive aircraft. There are a number of main differences that I have noted. The first difference, which is immediately apparent is the resolution of both the exterior and the VC. The PMDG is far superior and I mean far superior to the iFLY. When viewing the plane from outside, the plane is a 3D model, by that I mean you can see through the windows and as you pan across the plane the interior will move accordingly. The reflection from the sun is extraordinarily realistic on the exterior. In the VC, in different lighting you can become suddenly aware of the shadows and dust marks on the instrument displays. The amount of detail in this plane is superb and by far the most immersive addon I have in my hanger of about twenty planes.These things are not present on the iFLY to this degree. Certainly the resolution is far lower on the iFLY and the external resolution was a massive disappointment to me. The windows for example are 2D giving the impression of having been 'painted' onto the fuselage. In the PMDG the overall resolution is similar to the Airbus x. I cannot over emphasise the importance of detail in the VC and it is this that has helped take the simming world by storm. IMO the sound effects are superior. The iFLY does have some good sounds, but again IMO the PMDG wins. In the PMDG all the switches, knobs and buttons work, even a switch to turn on the air for the footwell! The handling, well, what can I say. It is simply awesome! I didn't think there would be that much of a difference between the two aircraft, but there is. If like me you enjoy manual approaches and landings, then the difference will be noticeable. The immersion factor should not be something that's overlooked either. I find once in the cockpit of the PMDG, it has a feel about it that immediately makes me smile. Why, you can only guess, I just know since it's release the rest of my aircraft have hardly been flown!! As for performance, on my rig and that's all I can go by, the smoothness was slighly better on the iFLY and there was also 10% improvement with the iFLY.

If you simply want the finest of aircraft then IMO it has to be the PMDG. If on the other hand you are looking for something that is not quite so immersive, a little lighter on your pocket, the resolution is not a big factor and you can get a few extra frames then the iFLY could be for you. It is a superb aircraft and one that the designers should be highly proud of. Their support is second to none. It's quick, helpful and very friendly, so if you choose the iFLY then you will not have made a mistake by any stretch of the imagination, simply bought yourself a Porsche rather than a Ferrari! ;)

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Brilliant post above by Howard "Rocky"!

I second his opinion and I should add: Ever since I got PMDG's 737NGX, I can't fly anything else... plain and simple!

It sets a standard so high that whenever you move to another aircraft it will just be in the real world...

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I believe the jury is still out on whether the BBJ will be released by PMDG. It involves a different model perhaps (fewer windows for one) and possibly modified flight dynamics thanks to the additional fuel tanks. However, without real world data on that, I merely speculate. Fact is, PMDG have not officially decided on doing the BBJ or not. Apparently, they wanted to see what the customer response is.

Andrew

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Also BBJs?

Edit: Andrew beat me to it :)

One thing to consider is, if you want all the models, you will end up paying considerably more for the PMDG than the iFly. You'll have to decide if the added depth of PMDG's system simulation is worth the extra money. For me the answer is "yes", but your priorities may differ from mine.

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I'd go for PMDG every time. At this time they have only the 800/800WL/900/900WL modeled, but more will follow. The other variants will cost some more money, but for this money you'll get exact flight dynamics (including fuel usage, etc.) and just everything you could want on an airliner.

Another cool thing with the PMDG is that they have moddeled many (all?) airline options, like the HGS, different panel variants (PFD/ND vs. EFIS/MAP), or the option to add the SFP (Short Field Package).

If you want to see something of the NGX you can search through PMDGs Forum at AVSIM and look for the videos done by AOA. Once you've seen them I'm sure you'll be convinced to take the NGX.

Here's just one example of those videos: http://www.flyaoamedia.com/aoa/nicks-737ngx-cockpit-thoughts/

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  • Aerosoft

Edit: Andrew beat me to it :)

One thing to consider is, if you want all the models, you will end up paying considerably more for the PMDG than the iFly. You'll have to decide if the added depth of PMDG's system simulation is worth the extra money. For me the answer is "yes", but your priorities may differ from mine.

I think two very good points are made there.

  • Is a $70 add-on better then a $40 add-on? I bloody well hope so, certainly if the add-on costs more then the simulator itself. With PMDG however you can be sure that it is.
  • A B737 is flown by two highly trained persons, supported by far more people. And you, dear customer, are most likely a nice guy who drinks a beer while flying the aircraft on a rainy evening. I am the first person to say the PMDG 737 is too complex for my taste. It needs at least between 20 and 30 hours to learn the basics and far more to learn the ins and outs. I can list you dozens of people who bought a complex aircraft and are not using it now. You'll never hear about them because nobody likes to let is know they are too 'stupid' to fly the PMDG 737. You never read a bad review about a product like this because it is so important and so good a bad review more or less means the reviewer does not understand it. Fact is that for a good deal of customers this is a step they should not take unless they are very very serious and got time.

I get PAID to play with FSX and I can't even bother to get to grips with this product. Does it mean it is not good? Of course not, it just means it is not a product for me. The few hours I spend in FSX not being paid are in the Katana or the Catalina. Aircraft that take a fraction of the time to understand and still rather serious simulations. Keeping the Katana in good shape takes some serious thinking and keeping the engines in the Catalina running in realistic mode baffled me more then a few times.

Knowing your limits is the mark of a good pilot. Real pilots and sim pilots.

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I think two very good points are made there.

  • Is a $70 add-on better then a $40 add-on? I bloody well hope so, certainly if the add-on costs more then the simulator itself. With PMDG however you can be sure that it is.
  • A B737 is flown by two highly trained persons, supported by far more people. And you, dear customer, are most likely a nice guy who drinks a beer while flying the aircraft on a rainy evening. I am the first person to say the PMDG 737 is too complex for my taste. It needs at least between 20 and 30 hours to learn the basics and far more to learn the ins and outs. I can list you dozens of people who bought a complex aircraft and are not using it now. You'll never hear about them because nobody likes to let is know they are too 'stupid' to fly the PMDG 737. You never read a bad review about a product like this because it is so important and so good a bad review more or less means the reviewer does not understand it. Fact is that for a good deal of customers this is a step they should not take unless they are very very serious and got time.

I get PAID to play with FSX and I can't even bother to get to grips with this product. Does it mean it is not good? Of course not, it just means it is not a product for me. The few hours I spend in FSX not being paid are in the Katana or the Catalina. Aircraft that take a fraction of the time to understand and still rather serious simulations. Keeping the Katana in good shape takes some serious thinking and keeping the engines in the Catalina running in realistic mode baffled me more then a few times.

Knowing your limits is the mark of a good pilot. Real pilots and sim pilots.

Well said Mathijs!

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Edit: Andrew beat me to it :)

One thing to consider is, if you want all the models, you will end up paying considerably more for the PMDG than the iFly. You'll have to decide if the added depth of PMDG's system simulation is worth the extra money. For me the answer is "yes", but your priorities may differ from mine.

+1

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I think two very good points are made there.

  • Is a $70 add-on better then a $40 add-on? I bloody well hope so, certainly if the add-on costs more then the simulator itself. With PMDG however you can be sure that it is.
  • A B737 is flown by two highly trained persons, supported by far more people. And you, dear customer, are most likely a nice guy who drinks a beer while flying the aircraft on a rainy evening. I am the first person to say the PMDG 737 is too complex for my taste. It needs at least between 20 and 30 hours to learn the basics and far more to learn the ins and outs. I can list you dozens of people who bought a complex aircraft and are not using it now. You'll never hear about them because nobody likes to let is know they are too 'stupid' to fly the PMDG 737. You never read a bad review about a product like this because it is so important and so good a bad review more or less means the reviewer does not understand it. Fact is that for a good deal of customers this is a step they should not take unless they are very very serious and got time.

Is the iFly easier to learn/fly than the PMDG? I'm one of those that would learn the basics, go away and fly something else for a while then come back having forgotten how to work it and then abandon it. If the iFly is simpler to get up in the air so I can learn as I go, that might be the better option for me.

Cheers

Badger

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Is the iFly easier to learn/fly than the PMDG? I'm one of those that would learn the basics, go away and fly something else for a while then come back having forgotten how to work it and then abandon it. If the iFly is simpler to get up in the air so I can learn as I go, that might be the better option for me.

Cheers

Badger

I hope I didn't get this wrong, if so, please TELL ME!

But I think the pmdg is as easy to learn as the ifly as far as you just use the functions the ifly has. The pmdg is only more difficult if you use all the complex functions the ifly does not have.

You just should know for yourself how much you wanna pay for this. The pmdg has the HUD, so I'll get this one although I know I will never be able to learn all the options you have with that ;)

And the difference in price is not THAT hard!

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  • Aerosoft

I hope I didn't get this wrong, if so, please TELL ME!

But I think the pmdg is as easy to learn as the ifly as far as you just use the functions the ifly has. The pmdg is only more difficult if you use all the complex functions the ifly does not have.

You just should know for yourself how much you wanna pay for this. The pmdg has the HUD, so I'll get this one although I know I will never be able to learn all the options you have with that ;)

And the difference in price is not THAT hard!

The HUD is a nice feature on the list but it's an option that not many airlines buy and even less pilots actually like to use. In fact I am pretty sure it is more used in FSX then in real life. That's realism for you! It's like the RAT on an Airbus. You know how likely you are to use that if you fly 'realistic'? It has been used one time on the A320/321 and that at the Hudson landing. Now it is not public how many hours A320/321's have flown but most people think it's around 3.000.000 hours. So a realistic deployment of the RAT would be needed every 3 million hours you fly your sim.

Pick the aircraft you like and the complexity level you prefer. Read feature lists with caution, think about what you really like. For the majority of customers a nice wing view is far more important then a realistic electrical voltage fluctuation problem. For the serious people the PMDG is the only option as it offers you a increase in complexity to a level very close to the real aircraft. Look it is this way... As you line up on the runway and do your checks look to the other seat. In every add-on that seat is empty and a missing second pilot is for sure a no go item! Still most customers feel a non issue like wing flex is far more important then the missing pilot!

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I have to say that a wing view is also important to me (Bottom of the list, but still.). And I will tell you why. People who are in the hobby of simulation, love to fly. They try to do it often. When they do get on the plane the thing they see from their point of view is the ground, if lucky wing. That's the answer, people try to reproduce what they have seen and want to be in charge of the actions of the plane, why still being in the memories of what happend. This is only a thing for the people who do like the wing view.

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The HUD is a nice feature on the list but it's an option that not many airlines buy and even less pilots actually like to use. In fact I am pretty sure it is more used in FSX then in real life. That's realism for you!

Dual HUD is standard in all 787 models. It's the future. And that's the point the NGX is more of a platform than a single aircraft. Everything can be customized through the Livery. Most Liveries don't come with the HUD enabled, just like all but one don't come with the short field package either. You really have to fly the airlines individually to try out the combinations. The coolest part is you get the actual MCP used by that airline as well. Next month we get a whole new batch of 600/700's. What's not to love? The platform keeps expanding... now you can say a portion of the market doesn't want all those features, but I would wager the minority that do won't be setteling for anything less.

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I have to say that a wing view is also important to me (Bottom of the list, but still.). And I will tell you why. People who are in the hobby of simulation, love to fly. They try to do it often. When they do get on the plane the thing they see from their point of view is the ground, if lucky wing. That's the answer, people try to reproduce what they have seen and want to be in charge of the actions of the plane, why still being in the memories of what happend. This is only a thing for the people who do like the wing view.

As you're talking about the wingviews already, do you know that PMDG implemented their own sound model for this view. So when you're in the wing view (Actually one of the 3 wingviews. They've got one befor, or above and one after the wing) you'll hear the engine sound like the passenger would hear it in the real aircraft and not just the sound from the outside model of the aircraft as it's in most addons.

I don't know if the iFly has such a feature though.

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just wait for it untill we got it in our shop. Greets Fabian
.... and what will be the added value over buying it from PMDG? If your senior technical staff don't touch the aicraft then the support will have to come from users or from PMDG anyway ;)
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  • Aerosoft

.... and what will be the added value over buying it from PMDG? If your senior technical staff don't touch the aicraft then the support will have to come from users or from PMDG anyway ;)

Point taken. But we have close to 500 different products for sale and there is no way one person can know them all.

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Point taken. But we have close to 500 different products for sale and there is no way one person can know them all.

Thanks for taking the point Mathijs. Of course there is no one knows them all but I think your suppot team knows around 498 of them :bow_down2_s: That is also why I have found the added value to purchase around 12% of your products :hi_s:

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