PMDG 777-200LR/F Released

[JohnC]

It is hard to take screenshots of intangible things. As with the NGX, the sound set is one of the best there is. It will take me months to get completely comfortable with the fly by wire. It has a completely different feel than the NGX.

Very true, but it does help with the setting. Take a nice screenie of the cockpit at TO and describe how you can hear each stage of the engine whine as you push the throttle forward (aren't there something like 10 compared to the standard 4?). You say the feel is different, but how? Does it feel light and responsive for such heavy aircraft; does it transition from pilot input to FBW orientation hold in a seamless and natural way? Describe those items (or others) with a couple of well crafted shots and pretty soon you'll put the audience into the sim.

[Jigsaw]

I find the lack of response here compared to the NGX release and that servers are crashing elsewhere intruiging...

While I'm not too much into tubeliners and prefer low&slow flying (the A2A C172 really hit the spot), I was really excited for the 737NGX a couple of years ago (has it really been that long already?) and purchased it right on release day. I had, and continue to have, lots of fun with it. It's an excellent add-on and well worth its money.

However, after seeing the 777 video made by Nick Collet and hearing about the price I was sure that I will not get that aircraft for a long while, if ever. Due to Boeing's standarization it's just too similar to the 737 to justify that kind of expenditure and I'm certainly not a long haul kind of guy. I'm sure it's excellent, but it's too expensive and simply not for me. I rather stick to short hops with the 737.

I'll be back as a PMDG customer when they release their DC-6, if that bird is still in the cards that is.

[TuFun]

I'll be back as a PMDG customer when they release their DC-6, if that bird is still in the cards that is.

That would be the only PMDG aircraft I would buy! Just because I'm into radials!!!

[Kiwikat]

Due to Boeing's standarization it's just too similar to the 737 to justify that kind of expenditure and I'm certainly not a long haul kind of guy. I'm sure it's excellent, but it's too expensive and simply not for me. I rather stick to short hops with the 737.

I can tell you it is nothing like the 737 at all. That seems to be a big mistake people are making when flying the 777. Parked next to each other, the 777 absolutely dwarfs the NG. It is quite surprising how big it is. The T7's fly-by-wire gives it a completely different "feel" when hand flying. It feels like a 600,000 pound fighter jet in a lot of ways. The amount of power you have at your fingertips is insane. PMDG does an awesome job of making you feel that power via the flight model and soundset. She's an absolute rocket when you don't have long-haul fuel loaded. 220,000 lbs of thrust is just a hoot.

Really about the only similarities is that they both have two engines, a wing, and a somewhat similar FMC unit.

I definitely understand not liking long hauls though. I'm really using it as more of a 757 or 767. Not really accurate, but then I don't have 8+ hours to do a simulated flight.

[n4gix]

Parked next to each other, the 777 absolutely dwarfs the NG.

There was a screenshot posted yesterday at AVSIM demonstrating that the 737 NGX fuselage will fit inside the port engine of the T7. "Dwarfs" is a very appropriate adjective to use...

As far as total sales of FSX are concerned, over the years since release it has to have surpassed several million legal copies. Lord alone knows how many (*cough*) "less expensive versions" have been downloaded and are being used...

It's also important to note that FSX continues to be sold via brick and mortar stores as well as MS's own online store.

[fliger747]

Given the costs of even taking a coffee break at MS, there would have to be millions of copies out there to break even. The new 747-8 that I fly has partial fly by wire, ailerons and some weird stuff on approach called flare assist. It does feel somewhat different, smoother and somewhat less feedback. Both the 737 and the 747 fly a lot alike, just the bigger plane needs more time and space. They should be flow smoothly, but are capable of rather amazing roll rates in either experienced or ham fisted hands. I have seen new pilots comment "boy is it turbulent today" when it was actually pilot induced through strong over control.

You don't fly these by feel so much as by instruments.

T

[pilottj]

Stratotrekker has been submitted for upload to here and Avsim.