Which 737 Panel to FLY, the FREE 737-200 or the $40. PMDG?

[Amtran618]

PMDG has a very nice product, but no one EVER shows it doing its stuff, the panel is where the PMDG shines. People post screen shots of the plane but NEVER show what the panel is doing, come on people, lets see what you spent that 40 bucks on.

[lala]

Spend the money.



He is safe from danger, whom is on guard even when safe.:)

[Amtran618]

I have PMDG 737 version 1.2, and I know that it is a nice simulation of the real deal, I'm a real pilot and I guess I'm sick of seeing the same old non realistic pictures of the virtual panel and outside shots of a $40. FS add-on. Like I said, the PMDG is a very nice simulation of the real 737 NG 2D panel, but you NEVER see any screen shots of the 2D panel doing what it CAN AND WAS DESIGNED TO DO.

[Erick_Cantu]

The -200...because it's...a -200.

[link:sgair.net|http://sgair.net/erick/SIGS/SIG_990.JPG]

[Amtran618]

I'm partial to the -200 too, just because that's what I got my B-737 type rating in, it's a cool little plane.

[chris_NZ]

Try checking out the review that Nels Anderson did of the PMDG 737NG. Go to the main menu, select product reviews, select arranged by company, and then select Precision Manuals and you'll see the review. Its very in depth and contains screenshots of the overhead, FMC etc.

I would reccommend you buy it as it is a stunning simulation. The Dreamfleet 737-400 and -200 (in the one package) for fs9 will be an OUTSTANDING simulation of most of the systems of the classic series. It is still in development however.

I would urge you to buy the PMDG panel instead of downloading Richard Probst's 737. As he said on the website, it is very early in its development. In the end it will have fully integrated systems (hydraulics, fuel, pressurisation etc) but its current form is only a glimmer of how good it will be when its actually finished. It is still full of bugs and if you're new to Flight Simulator, you need to see a payware package to see how good procedural panels can get. Probst's 737 has only really been released in its naked form so people can help him find bugs to fix, before its proper release.

Hope this helps

Chris :)

[vegad]

The best demonstration of the panel I've seen is in the good tutorials available for free. Those guide you through all the sequences, with pictures. Suggest reviewing a PMDG 737 tutorial. But I also love the 732, specially when coupled with Rich Probst's panel.

Dave Vega

[Amtran618]

At this point in my career I prefer using the 737-200 panel also because its not likely that I'll be flying a New Generation anything for quite a while, but it would be nice to see some shots of what the -600 has to offer instead of the same old boring shots of the outside of the plane that we see, I'm pretty sure that PMDG has sold hundreds of their -600 plane, why people don't show the fancy 2D avionics is beyond me.

[Amtran618]

I already own the PMDG 737 and I take it out of its hanger once in a while, but I also like flying Richard Probst's awesome Freeware 737-200 panel.
Richards 737-200 panel is the best of the best when it comes to the original 737 and that's why I posted the screenshots of the panel in action, and the PMDG is probably a good representation of what a newer 737 is, my point is YOU NEVER SEE ANY SHOTS OF THE 2D PANEL OF PMDG 737, I ONLY SEE SHOTS OF THE OUTSIDE OF THE PLANE, WHY SPEND 40 BUCKS ON A PLANE IF YOU ONLY SHOW OFF THE OUTSIDE OF IT!!!

I have posted shots of my PMDG panel flying approaches, and I have posted shots of Richard Probst's Freeware 737-200 panel, maybe I'm the only pilot here that prefers shots of the panel instead of shots of the outside of the plane.

[Tabs]

There are plenty of pics of the 2D panel on the PMDG website - I can assure you they accurately reflect what the plane is capable of. What specifically do you want to see shots of?

Ryan Maziarz
PMDG Beta Team

[flyinggriffin]

I wonder if it is a pilot thing. You see this with the GA planes like the Archer and Cardinal by Dreamfleet. Everyone shows the exterior of the plane in the pretty scenery. Heck when I captured shots of the Simflyers KLAS for our friends who live in Henderson NV, I used exterior shots because it gave a better wow factor. If you showed the PMDG panel to nonflyers, they would give it the same look that they would to a complicated home entertainment system panel.

[Amtran618]

I guess I'm starting to feel homesick, I've been layed off for quite a while and haven't flown a real airplane in a long time, I have to find a way back into the cockpit soon.

[jboweruk]

okay, so ya wanna know what u pay for, here's my opinion of that particular lady:

The absolute best 737 i've seen (imho), the best Flight Management computer of any a/c i have in my hanger. The repaint templates supplied by pmdg are there to make it easy to repaint (theoretically - tho' i never seem to be able to paint any of mine, but that's me not any particular designer). Not to mention that the autopilot dropped me onto the runway dead center for a perfect landing, with no pilot input at all.

I challenge anyone to ..... BEAT THAT!!!!

[Amtran618]

I know what you get when you throw down the $40. for the PMDG 737NG, you get the same thing that Rich is offering for free, except it comes with a glass panel and a FMC and some repaints of aircraft.
The point of this thread was to get some shots of the actual panel in action instead of the outside pics of an airplane, I enjoy seeing the plane from a pilots perspective.

[ejoiner]

I personally use the 737-300 steam gauge panel from Ariane. I like it very much. I use it for 732 and 733 flights. I also have the payware skydecks panel and combine that with the excellent FFX 737-700 and 800. For the 737-400, I use the Dreamfleet panel combined with the FFX-737-400 using Peter Mclelands conversion. (complicated but it works!)

Eric

[kc10]

See posts 3 and 7. After I found the R. Probst 732 panel (early stages yet) I then installed E.Cantu's 200. I was completely blown away by this plane's flight dynamics. When Mr Probst' panel is complete, WOW what a superb combo this will be.

[gdavis101]

I had planned on buying PMDG's 800/900 737, but I just read that it is not a seperate program from the original and that you have to own the original PMDG 737. 40 bucks for the original, and another 22 for the update.. I am going to have to stick with freeware, and the old dreamfleet panel for awhile. This was discouraging for me, as I really like the BEECH 1900 and was really looking forward to flying their 737.. It didn't help that I just bought the new Ready For Push Back the other day.. I will continue to salivate over the screenies for now.. RFP 747 is great!

[bigun]

"At this point in my career I prefer using the 737-200 panel also because its not likely that I'll be flying a New Generation anything for quite a while, but it would be nice to see some shots of what the -600 has to offer instead of the same old boring shots of the outside of the plane that we see, I'm pretty sure that PMDG has sold hundreds of their -600 plane, why people don't show the fancy 2D avionics is beyond me."

I've seen you post this comment several times and I'm at a loss. IF you look on the PMDG forums and website and some of the sreenshot forums there are many, many shots of the panel in action.

"I know what you get when you throw down the $40. for the PMDG 737NG, you get the same thing that Rich is offering for free, except it comes with a glass panel and a FMC and some repaints of aircraft.
The point of this thread was to get some shots of the actual panel in action instead of the outside pics of an airplane, I enjoy seeing the plane from a pilots perspective"

You obviously don't have a clue.

George Stoddard

[FatTulip]

The only real thing to do the panel and it's function justice is the manual, which is worth the read for any potential buyer.

Here is a (very) scaled collage of a few limited bits;