View Full Version : Which is the best A320 family flight sim for a desktop PC
Hello,
My son is about to start training on the A320. I have flown the 737 and found the PDMG product excellent. Also use a sim 777 for very similar systems FMC etc to my current 787.
Which is the best A320 sim have heard about " aerosoft airbus x" and "flight sim labs A320 X"
Any views....any better products.
Thanks in advance
tubby linton
13th Dec 2016, 21:07
There is also this one but it is not cheap!https://www.a3xxflightdeck.com What does he want if for, to learn how to fly it or how to operate it?
Hand flying is a relatively small part of the type rating course. Getting used to operating an A320 and multi crew operation are the most significant parts.
tubby linton
13th Dec 2016, 23:09
I do realise that , but I would say that more enlightened operators are keen that you remember it is an aircraft and you shoud be able to fly it. An MCC course,should have taught your son how to operate a multi crew aircraft.The Use before Flight app will show him the ecam drills and there are fmgs trainers available as well, but the bus does have a variety of fmgs fitted.
I have the aerosoft software and I would say its biggest failing is that the software shows the whole panel on one side and you need quite a large display to view it adequately.Ity does not have a zoom in facility. All of these flight sims are also concentrated on the captains side of the cockpit. It is also quite an art to set up your computer to resemble the feel and handling of the real aircraft and buy a stick which replicates the real one.
TRO have invested in flat panel trainers for pilots to learn SOP and ecam discipline, but they too have their limitations as the panels themselves bring many frustations due to parallax and they do not have the tactile feel of the real buttons and don't even try to handfly one! I am a tech instructor for the A320 family and have used these devices for instruction.
If you really want to try and simulate reality then you need two people sitting looking at the flightdeck so that you see the flows and the interactions between the crew members in real time and hear the challenges and responses in the checklists. Airbus is very much about keeping to an approved script so as long as he knows his SOPS and ECAM discipline it should not be too much to worry about.
tech log
16th Dec 2016, 15:10
Flight Sim Labs is PMDG level.
No other Airbus developer comes close. Aerosoft is more enthusiast fun level.
About £80 I think. It would have value as perhaps a procedure trainer but certainly useful for scan practice, MCDU stuff and ND interpretation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZwBuMgi0nM