Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

This is the place where we can all meet and speak about whatever is on the mind.
User avatar
Radial_9
Airman
Posts: 17
Joined: 21 Oct 2018, 12:15
Location: KRSW

Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by Radial_9 »

Looking to purchase my first single engine GA AC in a decade or two. I have been flying the DC3 pretty much solo for nearly 2K logged hours. I am “branching out” into turbo props and eventually the larger turbo jets, over time. Although not current, I do hold a PPL.

I’m giving serious consideration to going through a VTO training program associated with VATSIM. I may also look into Pilot Edge. I will need a good GA single engine AC for those endeavors. From all I hear and read I have come to the right place here.

My initial decision was to go with the Comanche 250. However, with the release of the Bonanza V tail I am taking pause and rethinking my one and only GA A2A AC purchase. I tend to stick with one AC for a long time so I try to make an informed decision and stay with it.

Given my purpose and intent would I be better served to just stay with my initial decision and learn the Comanche 250 or is there enough significant differences between the two aircraft, given my purpose, to justify a rethink? I really don’t “need” the high performance or the “cool” factor, I need a good GA single engine to spend a few hundred hours and have it become my “goto” GA AC.

I’m sure there are enough pilots here that have flown both and could offer an opinion if I may be over thinking this decision or are there just so much more quality flight characteristics and modeling to justify the new Bonanza.

Would welcome and appreciate any comments or experience from high hour single engine GA pilots.

Thanks!

User avatar
aonyn
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 342
Joined: 03 Mar 2015, 23:49
Location: Morgantown, WV

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by aonyn »

Quite honestly, any A2A accusim is worth buying, and you could easily spend hundreds of hours enjoying any of them... even the humble little cub, or the older B377 or P47.
Sure, they will always release a new one with more bells and whistles, but if you buy that one, some months later, along comes another with more bells, more whistles.
(Edit - add to this that any accusim bird, even the earliest, are way beyond the rest of the pack available outside of A2A, and while some accusim improvements are specific to a new plane, many accusim improvements improve the accusim engine all around, so even the older planes benefit )

I would say, take the one that calls your name when you see her. :) You really can't make a wrong choice with an A2A purchase. (except for purchasing FSX when you use P3D, or vice versa - and Lewis could fix you up if you made this mistake even )

If you want a more definite answer, I'd say for stable workhorse, go Comanche, for sexy sports model, go Bonanza. (Edit 2 - or if you don't mind a slower cruise, I always find something special about the little cherokee, Scott and Team really captured the soul of this one )

I hope this helps.



Regards,
Dave
Ron Attwood wrote:David, you'd be useless on Twitter. Too reasonable by half. :D

User avatar
Simicro
Senior Airman
Posts: 195
Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 03:20

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by Simicro »

Me too I prefer to focus on 2-3 aircrafts addons for a long time. I have the A2A C172 and V35. The C172 is because after an absence and a move to P3Dv4, I want to re-learn the basics. The V-35 is for the day when I want to fly faster. And later the PMDG 777 and that is all. So I understand and support you, mate, when you say "stick with one AC for a long time".

Now on your question, I must say that I do not own a real AC, but here is my comment on your thinking. If I understand correctly, your goal is to train and master perfectly a sim AC, that you might buy in real life later. Comanche or Bonanza you cannot go wrong with A2A. No need to make a long speech or elaborate: it's simply the best.

I would say go with the AC that you like most and you are likely to buy later. Say that you purchase the A2A Comanche. If for some reason, your real life objective change to a Bonanza, then you can always get the A2A Bonanza. It's "only" USD $50. I mean nothing to compare with the real thing.

You can also get both A2A aircrafts to gain experience on them and make a better decision for one in real life.

Hope this helps.
P3Dv4.5 - V35B - C172 - Cherokee
i5 4670K @4.3 Ghz - 32 Gb DDR3 - GTX 1080 8 Gb - 2K @165 Hz G-Sync - Win 7 x64
Microsoft Force Feedback 2 modded with CH Fighterstick - VKB Sim T-Rudder Mk.IV Pedals

n421nj
Chief Master Sergeant
Posts: 3541
Joined: 17 Mar 2013, 18:01
Location: KCDW

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by n421nj »

Go bonanza. It is the newest and fastest and has all the latest features. Nothing wrong with any a2a aircraft but if I could only have 1 it would be the bonanza. The rain effects the instrument panel shake the potential for instrument failure the rotating beacon. The only thing missing is visible icing.
Andrew

ASUS ROG Maximus Hero X, Intel i7 8770K, Nvidia GTX 1080, 32GB Corsair Vengeance 3000 RAM, Corsair H90i liquid cooler.

All Accusim Aircraft
Accu-Feel, 3d Lights Redux

User avatar
Orlaam
Senior Airman
Posts: 182
Joined: 22 May 2017, 17:03

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by Orlaam »

I would imagine the notion of porting over real life experience to the sim and vice versa is moot. Sure, you can glean the gauge knowledge, IFR/IMC "training", and other dynamics that translate in both the sim and real life, but the act of handling a real plane is said to be much easier in real life. If you fly, then you know this. Sim planes are so sensitive and more difficult.

Personally, I only have the Comanche and Bonanza. The Cessna is an appealing choice due to the common training denominator, but I find the cockpit of the Cessna 172/182 so boring. Great for training, but no character. I know that the Piper Arrow is a popular choice as well for training. Not sure how the Cherokee compares. I have a hard time buying a lot of slower aircraft. I had a lot of them in FS9, so now I'm more selective.

In the sim, the Bonanza is easier to fly. I see people say it's harder for them than the Comanche or perhaps some others. I don't know why they say that. I flew the Comanche a couple days ago after some time away, and despite having a good overall flight, the landing was slightly sloppier than the Bonanza ever is. The biggest gripe I have with the Comanche is the difficulty slowing down and increased tendency to float. I also find the pitch in the Comanche is less stable than the Bonanza. You really have to be on your game to make a good final and appropriate landing in the Comanche. If you aren't stable and slowing properly into the final segment, then you might have issues getting down softly. The Bonanza just lowers gracefully onto the runway as you pull back power. I land picture perfect about 98% of the time in the Bonanza. The Comanche is perfect about 90% but I've owned it longer, so if I'd bought them together I'd probably be landing the Comanche perfectly about 80%. The Bonanza is just that much easier to me.

I like them equally, but the Bonanza is better for many reasons. Easier to fly/land, more stable to me (yes it wags more and bounces around compared to the Comanche), has a more modern autopilot that will capture altitude, follow a GPS track, and couple an ILS. It's slightly faster, but not so much over the Comanche in my flights.
Chris J.

Asus Maximus VII Hero motherboard | Intel i7 4790k CPU | MSI GTX 970 4 GB video card | Corsair DDR3 2133 32GB SDRAM | Corsair H50 water cooler | Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD (2) | EVGA 1000 watt PSU | Windows & Pro 64 bit | FSX:SE

User avatar
Killratio
A2A Spitfire Crew Chief
Posts: 5785
Joined: 29 Jul 2008, 23:41
Location: The South West of the large island off the north coast of Tasmania
Contact:

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by Killratio »

Apart from "beta testing" I treat my fleet like real world experience..I've dabbled and flown many but an overwhelming majority of time is spent in a single aircraft (in my case, strangely enough, the Spitfire :) :) :) ... but the principle holds).

I would recommend the Bo. Put simply, it has the very latest Accusim technology, it is a fast, capable aircraft to use for the purposes you want and it is challenging enough to provide long term growth and interest. Handled well, it will serve you well, handled poorly, it will get you into trouble faster than a drunk mate on a Buck's Night.

That all provides challenge and interest.

There is nothing quite like tying down your old faithful aircraft after a flight which has tested your skills and judgement to the limit. That is an experience that is not (well, certainly SHOULD NOT BE) available to a high hours pilot in a 172 or Cherokee, where such a happening would normally be due to very bad judgement/poor choices. They simply should not have he performance to take such a pilot ANYWHERE his brain hasn't been 10 minutes before.

FWIW....
Darryl
<Sent from my 1988 Sony Walkman with Dolby Noise Reduction and 24" earphone cord extension>


Image

User avatar
Radial_9
Airman
Posts: 17
Joined: 21 Oct 2018, 12:15
Location: KRSW

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by Radial_9 »

Gentlemen... THANK YOU for taking the time to provide some feedback. It helps a great deal and is truly appreciated.

I thought I would not find myself leaning toward the Bo but that seems to be the way I'm now leaning. It's surprising me a bit.

One last inquiry if I might.

I have 6 GoFlight Modules that I use to fly my Manfred Jahn C47. Most all the cockpit switches map OK. A ROYAL PITA to them all installed get all straightened out (mostly USB2.0) issues, but they now do a pretty good job of simulating most switches, buttons, COMMS and NAV tuning.

My understanding is these GoFlight connections are simple Simconnect connections. I know some of the more modern high end jet addons MPC's and EFIS have some issues, but most GA AC should be pretty straight forward.

Does anybody here either use GoFlight hardware or have read of folks using them with A2A GA AC? I'm not sure if AccuSim has any bearing on the programming, but it's worth making an inquiry.

I have spend many hours over the past week perusing the forum here. Did not come up with most anything Goflight related going back to 2015. One or two posts only.

Quite a dedicated bunch of pilots I might add!

Thanks!!

User avatar
Simicro
Senior Airman
Posts: 195
Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 03:20

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by Simicro »

You are most welcome.

Sorry I cannot help with Goflight but hope to welcome you soon as an A2A Bo owner :)
P3Dv4.5 - V35B - C172 - Cherokee
i5 4670K @4.3 Ghz - 32 Gb DDR3 - GTX 1080 8 Gb - 2K @165 Hz G-Sync - Win 7 x64
Microsoft Force Feedback 2 modded with CH Fighterstick - VKB Sim T-Rudder Mk.IV Pedals

BrettT
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 280
Joined: 04 Aug 2015, 08:52

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by BrettT »

I had purchased the Bonanza and had initially found myself gravitating back to the Comanche. But, after I have spent some more time with the Bonanza I am really finding myself selecting it the majority of the time. I truly enjoy how it. With regards to the Goflight gear. I used to have a couple pieces of equipment and found the radios to work as intended with A2A equipment. The ADF doesn't seem to be able to be tuned with standard commands and some of the other switches use special commands. This is because Accusim can sometimes use different variables in its programming (example....the comanche has a gear up/down neutral switch where as the standard switch is gear up/down). I believe the GoFlight Interface Tool (from a third party) is instrumental in developing a profile to work through these issues

User avatar
DHenriques_
A2A Chief Pilot
Posts: 5711
Joined: 27 Mar 2009, 08:31
Location: East Coast United States

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by DHenriques_ »

I agree with Killratio;

You could pick any of our planes and be a happy camper but the Bonanza represents all the Accusim improvements we have made so far. It's a fast capable high performance retract/complex and will give you years of good service. It's well equipped with avionics and is single pilot IFR capable for you.
What more could you want? Get the Bonanza!
Dudley Henriques

User avatar
aonyn
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 342
Joined: 03 Mar 2015, 23:49
Location: Morgantown, WV

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by aonyn »

Dudley has spoken!

@Radial_9, this is the man to listen to around here... disregard my advice
Still though, when you are ready to expand your fleet, I stand by my statement that you really can't go wrong with any A2A purchase :)

Regards,.
Dave
Ron Attwood wrote:David, you'd be useless on Twitter. Too reasonable by half. :D

User avatar
Radial_9
Airman
Posts: 17
Joined: 21 Oct 2018, 12:15
Location: KRSW

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by Radial_9 »

Purchased the Bonanza this morning along with LatinVFR’s KRSW which is quite close to home. KSRW should be a great FLAT place to begin my re-training. I have become quite sloppy in my online flying the past few years. No more. Signed up for VatStar’s P1-P5 training. I’m hopefully the training will correct some of the bad habits I have fallen into.

It’s the first day of school. By the book, by the numbers. I’ll move down to the Bonanza forum and lurk there until I have something useful to contribute. Already read all the posts. I feel fortunate to begin in the first few weeks of the Bonanza's release.

THANK YOU to all who took a moment to offer their opinions and experiences!

Cheers,

Bob

User avatar
scottb613
Technical Sergeant
Posts: 511
Joined: 28 Dec 2015, 11:06
Location: KMSV

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by scottb613 »

Hi Bob,

Congrats - enjoy...

Just FYI - LatinVFR’s Key West is just down the road from there - it’s one of my favorite sceneries and one of my most frequented places in FS...

Regards,
Scott


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Image

User avatar
Simicro
Senior Airman
Posts: 195
Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 03:20

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by Simicro »

Radial_9 wrote:Signed up for VatStar’s... I’ll move down to the Bonanza forum and lurk there until I have something useful to contribute. Already read all the posts. I feel fortunate to begin in the first few weeks of the Bonanza's release.
@Bob: Excellent decision! Warm welcome to the Bo's community. No doubt that the community will benefit of your presence and contribution. It's always extremely pleasing to see people like you having the sense of receiving and giving, that is sharing (as far as knowledge and real life constraints permit of course) while other uncivilized people (I did not notice here on this A2A forum) "throwing" quickly and wildly their questions and "demanding" a response or a solution and never coming back to give a feedback or say "thank you". I could see right from the beginning through the way how you expressed your request that you are a valuable guy with a sense of focus and dedication.

You feel fortunate? If Fortune smiles on you there must be a good reason :D Again, welcome mate.

And thanks for the heads up on VatStar, I was not aware.

@Scott: nice to see you here :wink:
P3Dv4.5 - V35B - C172 - Cherokee
i5 4670K @4.3 Ghz - 32 Gb DDR3 - GTX 1080 8 Gb - 2K @165 Hz G-Sync - Win 7 x64
Microsoft Force Feedback 2 modded with CH Fighterstick - VKB Sim T-Rudder Mk.IV Pedals

User avatar
Radial_9
Airman
Posts: 17
Joined: 21 Oct 2018, 12:15
Location: KRSW

Re: Pending GA A2A Aircraft Choice

Post by Radial_9 »

Scott & Simicro... Thank you for the welcome and kinds words.
scottb613 wrote:Just FYI - LatinVFR’s Key West is just down the road from there
Great suggestion, thanks! Perfect distance to train with. It's on sale at Simmarket... your suggestion saved me 5 bucks!

I've flown solo for nearly two decades. Just this past year I have broadened my interests with the Q400 and now the Bonanza. I'm not a big joiner or talker, but there is just so much great resources out here it makes sense to become part of and participate in the larger flightsim community. I'm retiring in about 2 years and am looking forward to flying heavy metal and working on my short game full time!

Cheers,

Bob

new reply

Return to “Pilot's Lounge”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 31 guests