Yup.....based on the reviews that I've seen thus far, this is NOT worth the money, at this point. Thanks for this, Froogle. It was VERY cool to have an actual MD-80 pilot working there with you. I enjoyed that very much. Merry Christmas. :)
Excellent video, Froogle. From the perspective of someone who is neither an MD-80 pilot for real, nor someone training to become one, I've certainly got a lot of enjoyment out of it so far, and the devs do seem quite determined to improve their product as time goes on, but it's certainly fascinating to see a real MD-80 captain pointing out things that I, as a fairly casual simmer certainly would've never known were modeled incorrectly. Ignorance is bliss I suppose. :P As always, buyer beware I suppose. For the purposes of the kind of simming I do, the current product satisfies my needs. While PMDG standards of systems simulation are nice to have and experience, I can't honestly see myself ever being able to fully benefit from it the way much more serious simmers, or even student pilots would. I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy a study-level MD-80 for X-Plane, because I certainly would, but study-sim fidelity is not a requirement for me to enjoy a product either. I do wish Rotate had perhaps been a bit more realistic and honest when it came to their marketing material though. As tempting as it probably is to fuel the hype-machine and boost initial sales, it only hurts you in the long run, IMO.
Would be great to see a series on these to see how ALL the big boys rate. Stick a 737 and 777 captain in the PMDG's, a commercial helo pilot in the Dreamfoil Bell 206, a Dash pilot in the Majestic, and a high time instructor in the A2A C172 or Cherokee. All of those addons have claims to be created with the input of real pilots, but I would like to see just how impressed a high time pilot is with the planes we look on as the creme de la creme. Maybe there are a great many of them with glaring errors (though perhaps not as with the MD-80, stuff just bugged or outright missing). EDIT: Also your friend needs his own TH-cam sim channel, he's very listenable :)
This would be a great video for RotateSim to watch to get ideas for improving their product. I really enjoyed watching this as it gave a lot of insight to how this simulation differs from the actual plane.
I love the concept of this video....and it's executed very well. There is something very special about having this kind of access to real information. No posers.....no pretend......just real world knowledge and experience. If only you had more pilots with different type ratings.....because this is awesome! Thank you froogle....and thank you Paul.....would love to hear more from you about your experiences....and the little idiosyncrasies of the md80.
Extra cool having an experienced pilot of the aircraft doing an assessment! This should be great help to the developers to tighten down its authenticity. The quality of this planes 3D modeling and paint is exceptional though and deserves much praise especially finding a way around the plastic look of most X-planes. I would like to see an experienced overview of all these sim planes if it were possible as this is quite educational to viewers as well as the developers. I didn't find one bit of this video boring.
Merry Christmas Eve froogle! I am spending the night in Atlanta and am flying out tomorrow to the Caribbean! When we come back, we are flying on an md-80, and I absolutely love them!
I want to thank Paul for walking us through the aircraft.Froogle you're a gem of a guy for not being too critical because I'm sure the guys producing it put a lot of hard work into it.I hope they do look at the various aspects that you've indicated because those things like bleed speeds and flight dynamics are to me why I even fly X Plane. I can't wait for PMDG gets on board
I loved that you had a real pilot with you while doing the review. I would be super cool to do more of this in the future. I know that I would probably be difficult to have one actually sitting next to you in your house, but what about doing a shared cockpit type situation in online multiplayer? A shared cockpit in the Pro edition of Majestic's Dash 8 Q400 with a real-world dash8 pilot would be super interesting to watch. Anyway, thanks as always for all your great content!
Froogle, anybody who would be giving you shit for dissing on an obviously broken model is an idiot and not worth your time. Pretty much everything you mentioned was 100% accurate. Rotatesim should be ashamed for publishing such a broken product. Same goes for JARDesigns' A330. I've dropped some pretty neat dough on models in the past, but at this point I'm pretty much delaying any new purchases until the devs get their heads out of their asses. If somebody is dropping $60+ on a product, they expect it to freakin' work, no questions asked.
What a nice Christmas gift. Froogle. I enjoyed the video as ever as you make high quality reviews. What I like is that you post an honest, well supported opinion of these products, not taking your self to seriously. For my part, this expert review (have more of them coming, please) supports the general opinion I've seen of some trusted streamers: yes there are some issues, yet it is a fun toy to play with. And, for me more important, the creators are open for improvemen so updates will come. What I do not understand though about not of the complainers is that the where so in a hurry to throw their money at an unknown developper, without waiting for some expert reviewres they trust. And, lastly, the PMDG products that are so highly regarded, are still more than 50% more expensive as the most expensive X-Plane model. I do hope you have a great holiday and start with more great releases in 2016 and that the people that do not agree with what you do or how you do it, look for other places to spoil their vinegar.
Thanks Froogle for involving a real experienced pilot in your assessment and evaluation of a new product. I too have recently purchased a new X-10 Plane aircraft advertised as "fantastic.....real" only to find out the electronics (FMC) just didn't work as it should. I wouldn't mind if it were advertised as a work in progress or Beta but annoyed that even the basic features were inop. Ah well. Live and learn. Please continue to eval new aircraft with a view to flying on VATSIm which requires an operational FMC and recent database. Again Thanks.
Cracking video Froogle, an early Christmas present! Fascinating to get insights from a tenured pilot, especially around why things are there and what order they follow. Great work by both!
Its always soooo cool to see a real, qualified pilot get to fly a simulated version of what he flies every day (I know pilots go through sim training all the time but this is cool to me nonetheless). Reminds me of when a Mig31/L39 pilot piloted the new DCS L39 albatross
now THIS was awesome. So cool hearing an actual mad dog driver talk us through it. My professional goal some day is to know an airplane this complex as inside and out as he does!
I am constantly amazed at the rudeness and ingratitude exhibited in several of the comments here, most of the authors of which, I would venture, would find difficulty in drawing a proper circle on their computer screen. The hours, days and months that the developers have put in on the incredible modelling of this plane defy belief. $60 barely buys you a simple ten minute filling at a dentist, or a meal at a so-so restaurant. Even if Rotatesim sell several thousand copies of this plane, take off distribution, retailers profits, etc., and divide up the remainder between the development team - well, I doubt they are going to become millionaires! They probably couldn’t afford to wait for years before releasing their product, unlike PMDG seem to. There are some bugs and errors here - that's life! Many of them will get sorted, and some won’t. Even the great A2A are constantly issuing patches and updates for their masterpieces (just read their forums), and even PMDG has to issue patches occasionally. No one is perfect. This MD-80 isn’t a study sim. If the posters want to lay out ten of thousands of dollars, and months of study for their ATPLs, then more for their type rating, that’s fine, but this is $60 for an entertainment product, not a training tool. As for complaints on the interface, at least you don’t have to struggle for hours configuring views in an add-on like EZDOK - if you can get it working in the first place. I watched a TH-cam video where the poster complained about the operation of the X-Plane Garmin 430, when it was his own inability to recognise the difference between large and small curly arrows operating the inner and outer knobs - yes, a bad workman blaming his tools! Thanks to Froogle and Paul for the brilliant video and fair comments, and I’m sure the Rotatesim team will attempt to correct what they can. Happy New Year to all!
Excellent video Froogle.... it was a nice treat to have a pilot be featured this time. Like many others i sure cannot wait till you do this with the IXEG737!!!!!!! in the near future.
nice video froogle, your the most More on person I know. :p anyway, really like these videos when you have such a nice and qualified person with you. it added alot to this.
How can anyone stand having to drag switches around like that in X-Plane? I have been considering trying out X-Plane... but if that mouse/switch interaction is typical of how X-Plane works I don't think I'd be able to stand it.
Hi Froogle, Merry Christmas for yesterday! Loved the video, very informative and nice to see a real world pilot flying your sim. The things Paul was describing you could tell only someone who has real world experience would know anything about, were priceless. Oh maybe a new line on tutorial video's for you................A real world pilot flies the sim plane and gives their views on the experience! Great as always, and very enjoyable too, Thank you.
Great great freakin video Pete. Since I've had X-Plane, I have told Jeff that the payware is released too early. Out of approximately 12 or so Payware, I have two that I feel are correct. Ceranado B58 Baron and their B200 King Air. The rest of the Ceranado and Alabeo are nothing but junk. Quality on ALL X-Plane payware SUCKS, some are just not as bad as others. Paul was probably erring on the side of being nice. Again great great video.
Do you think you could try the "fly the maddog" by Leonardo Maddog? I'm not sure it works in steam edition or Prepar3d but it definitely works in FSX, simulating the MD-82.
Merry Christmas Froogle and an excellent honest review of this addon. Considering the other very accurate and very high fidelity aircraft available for this price it certainly needs some work doing to it. Looking forward to your video on the Flight Factor 767 which looks like a seriously good addon.
Was equally disappointed in the lack of features. It's a joy to looks at. After experiencing the LSH MD-82 with it's numerous details and functionality and at only 30 dollars, 15 if you caught the sale, I feel a bit ripped off. Looking forward to future updates to justify the price point. Have you been keeping track of Tfdi's 717-200 project?
allways a pleasure to watch your videos. since you changed to prepare 3d. what are the differences between FSX and p3d and is it wourth to switch for a user? happy new year.
Froogle Happy New Year! Quick question for you. What ai traffic addon do you use? Have you done a comparison video with Traffic 360, Mytraffic 6, and Mytraffic 2013, and Ultimate Traffic 2 out there.
great video froogle, thanks for that, this add-on looks particularly rough, it also sounds like a tumble dryer running in the VC after take-off - wide berth for me and goes to show it's always wise to wait and do your research before purchasing.
Hi Paul! Are you also going to get the ATS MD-82/83 Study Sim when it comes out this month? It is very good (I bought it when they accidentally published it for sale)
Thats why I wanted my money back... This is a Alpha product and not what I paid for. I wrote about the issues in the .org forum and everyone just went nuts except for the developers.
Same here. I voiced my concerns, and got nothing but hate, warnings, and deleted posts. Customers should be able to warn other customers about unfinished products.
froogle where did the cg change from 0 to 5 came from,,,,for me it alwats in the fms stays in zero, i know sometimes it changes but lately in my plane always stays in 0
This is an excellent review, the more so since you have the services of an experienced pilot with time in type. You raise a point here, one which may be of some significance to the community; and that is the value, if any, of levels of performance and detail that would be noted only by someone with actual experience in the real airplane. A number of performance bits that you have highlighted would simply not be apparent to a non MD-80 pilot, even a real pilot with experience in other airplanes. So in the long run, it may not be as great a flaw for this product if, for example, the EGT rise on engine and/or APU start is more rapid and to a higher temperature than on the real airplane. It would indeed be important if someone was using this product (and I imagine a few new hires and airline pilots just might, as I once did) for training for the real airplane. But for the hobbyist it might be not so critical, provided that the engine did not actually blow up during start! Ditto for the FMC. As long as you can do whatever operation you are trying to do, and there is documentation in the product to show how, it may not be paramount if the key sequence is exactly like the real thing. Of course, it will be an annoyance to a real pilot on the type, which is why a few aspects of 757 Professional for XPlane drove me nuts at first, but I don't think real MD-80 pilots are the target audience for this product! On the other hand, it seems that many of the enthusiasts do indeed get hold of real MD-80 manuals somehow, and for this group utter realism may well be of supreme importance. This is one reason why it is useful to have a type rated pilot look the product over, as you have done here. You also touch upon an area that is disappointing, at least for me, in regard to XPlane, and that is having to tweak it to achieve realistic levels of control response and performance. This is not something that can be done by anyone other than someone with thousands of hours in the real airplane. Indeed, in a commercial product it should not need to be done. Instead it should be taken care of in the coding by the developer, with the assistance of pilots with real world experience in type. Even you, with all of your hours in FSX and XPlane are not really in a position to tweak this product to "fly" more like an MD-80 since you have no exposure to how the real thing flies (I must say, however, that your flying, as displayed in the videos you produce, is excellent, especially for a non pilot!). It should fly realistically right out of the box. If it is difficult to do that in XPlane then that is something that Austin might want to take a look at. I have thus far felt that FS did a better job of this, possibly because of the way that the program handles the flight dynamics. But to each his or her own! I hope that you can get a 767 pilot to help you look over the new 767-300 Professional for XPlane. I would volunteer myself except for the fact that I have been retired for 8 years now and am no longer current on the type. Indeed, the only thing keeping my memories of that great airplane a bit sharp is flight simulation! Tony Vallillo
So Rotate didn't claim study level but people still expected study level. We could debate the price and what we should expect at this price level but why are we getting upset when they delivered what they claim they would.
+nkmsw8 And here we go. The simple answer is at the very very least it doesn't fly like an md-80, particularly in the descent. The custom FMS, an advertised feature is not accurate. And so the list goes on. Basically to address your comment they did not deliver (yet) what they claimed they would, that being the "most accurate replica of the popular aircraft".
+nkmsw8 Add in the fact that X-plane actually support better avionic system modeling, I fail to understand why most developer simply just failed to explore the full potential of the engine.
+frooglesim maybe I've been fooled then by all the other reviews I've been reading and watching since this aircraft came out. The majority of "simmers" (not real world pilots) seem to enjoy this aircraft tremendously. Now, I'll have no mercy for a developer who claims study level and it's not. I'm way more lenient though with the best MD80 for X-Plane at the moment that has a "custom" FMS which to me means custom to what the developer wanted to include but not an actual representation of what in the real airplane has. I'll concede the point that the aircraft should have more drag than it has now with gear and flaps extended and also the few things that were pointed out by the real world captain but this developer seems open to correcting things. Just felt the review was a tad too harsh for a non study level addon. Still love your channel though. I'm a happy subscriber.
Thanks Froogle. Somebody has been needing to make a video like this for a long time, X-Plane add-ons are overpriced and over-hyped, and the work-in-progress forums are full of people pouring undeserved praise on products and promising to buy them the moment they are released. I had high hopes for this, the 767 from Flightfactor, and the 737 from IXEG. It is already looking like the first two are not up to their price tags and IXEG have already started making noises that the first release of the 737 will have significant limitations. I really wanted to leave FSX behind in 2016 and start flying in X-Plane full time, but it's looking less likely that will happen.
Commendable video! Now all the devs have to do is watch this closely and apply the fixes. Then realise if they are going to ask a full price for a sim, it must be accurate with all switches working, otherwise we are all going to be disappointed and view future releases with suspicion! Oh and Pete, if you know any 767/737 Pilots, perhaps they would be willing to join you in future tests. This would perhaps help to ensure future releases don't get released as a "beta".
Hello Froogle. I have a request. I have been flying the Carenado Cessna 152 for a while now and I have to say that it is one of my favorite airplanes. I know that the sounds may not be that great, and the interior and exterior textures may not be PMDG level, and I know that the FDM might not be as great as an A2A aircraft. But I would like to hear you opinion on it. You being an experienced flight simmer it might put things into perspective alot better. Thanks! -Dylan
Merry Christmas...really enjoyed the video..sometimes learning on the fly..discovering issues with plane compared to real world...more entertaining than everything going perfect to plan..Also enjoyed the MD-80 captains experience with the sim version..Comparisons he made..Very interested purchasing this model..perfect or not
I bought this aircraft and love it. I think the problem nowadays is if something won't meet the PMDG standards then it isn't good enough. We as FSX and P3D simmers have been spoiled
+roygrem I think when something is being held as a study level sim, and if you follow Froogle's channel he expresses quite often the difference between study level and 'fly for fun' planes, it isn't bad to compare it to other study level sims (ie. PMDG). It also tells you what you're getting yourself into if you purchase the product with that in mind. I personally enjoy things as realistic as they can be, and though it's not a big deal from an enjoyment standpoint, even not being able to start engine 2 first would kind of bug me along with systems modeling. Wouldn't necessarily stop me from buying / flying it though. The bar has been set high, but that doesn't mean it's not an enjoyable plane, and it seemed that they both enjoyed flying it.
siege00 I agree with you, I just think you have to look and see all the resources PMDG have versus rotatesim and understand "Hey it may not have all the bells and whistles as the PMDG but it is a great plane"
+siege00 The issue with engine 2 not starting had to do with him forgetting to turn on the air. All he had to do was recycle the start switch, and it would have spooled up. Why when he flipped the starter for engine 1, it worked. No special sequence.
+frooglesim in what way am i wrong (i am always wrong) or is it the systems that are wrong lol, i dont know any more. Oh and BTW merry Christmas from England as always it cold dark and raining
+jacob prescott It's wrong the way it's shown on the tutorial flight. From what i could understand from the video, simply by pressing the T/O buttons on the trhottle you can arm the T/O function.
+jacob prescott No, you're probably not wrong, the sim is wrong. As we showed, an experience MD-80 captain would normally hit the T/O buttons on the throttle. They are there in the sim, so why code up some obtuse workaround - just make those buttons do it.
frooglesim ahhh ok thanks froogle you cleared that up for me. if you know may i ask what EPR LIM even does on the real plane or should do in the sim. thanks alot.
Hey Froogle Merry Christmas! Nice video and a very good idea to take advantage of Paul`s knowledge of MD80s. Any chance of a video introducing Paul to an FSX MD80 and see his thoughts and reactions? Thanks in advance! Happy Holidays.
Thanks you for your contributions in 2015 and starting 2016 with this very good video. This year, can you make more instructional videos for newbie X-Plane users. My preferred flight sim platform is Prepar3d v3.x (and 20 years FSX) but every now and again I try a flight in X-Plane 10.41 only to give up because of it's very different user interface. After seeing videos like this one, and knowing there is no MD-80 of this quality in FSX or P3D I'm tempted to go and buy it, but am reluctant because of my limited knowledge in X-Plane (yes I visit the popular sites for tutorials and videos) and watched your own X-Plane videos which were most helpful. Perhaps a "X-Plane for Prepar3D Users" series.
Love Leonardo's Fly the Maddog. It is PHENOMENAL! Only wish they updated it to current performance and graphics standards. But you are right....it's excellent...and it's system fidelity and flight model are sublime for its age. If only it worked with P3D. I wonder....does it work with fsx steam edition?
@frooglesim This video displays your prowess and your humble power by demonstrating your commitment to bring an expert in to bring a different aspect to your review process. This is why I consider you an industry expert and have enjoyed your channel for an enjoyable period of time.
Hi Froogle, I have a question in regards to Windows 10. Have you done any test with FSX and win 10. I would love to watch all your videos but I just don't have time. I seem to have issues after installing all my addons. This is not the steam edition either. Hope to hear you have done tests. Thx!
Froogle vapes? Jordan too? That makes three of us! The only difference between you guys and me is that I got clouds that make the ones in the sky look small 😂😜😏 great video
Yup.....based on the reviews that I've seen thus far, this is NOT worth the money, at this point. Thanks for this, Froogle. It was VERY cool to have an actual MD-80 pilot working there with you. I enjoyed that very much. Merry Christmas. :)
Excellent video, Froogle. From the perspective of someone who is neither an MD-80 pilot for real, nor someone training to become one, I've certainly got a lot of enjoyment out of it so far, and the devs do seem quite determined to improve their product as time goes on, but it's certainly fascinating to see a real MD-80 captain pointing out things that I, as a fairly casual simmer certainly would've never known were modeled incorrectly. Ignorance is bliss I suppose. :P
As always, buyer beware I suppose. For the purposes of the kind of simming I do, the current product satisfies my needs. While PMDG standards of systems simulation are nice to have and experience, I can't honestly see myself ever being able to fully benefit from it the way much more serious simmers, or even student pilots would. I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy a study-level MD-80 for X-Plane, because I certainly would, but study-sim fidelity is not a requirement for me to enjoy a product either. I do wish Rotate had perhaps been a bit more realistic and honest when it came to their marketing material though. As tempting as it probably is to fuel the hype-machine and boost initial sales, it only hurts you in the long run, IMO.
I rather enjoyed the fumbling around, trying to make it work as it's supposed to. This is exactly what a first impressions video should be.
Would be great to see a series on these to see how ALL the big boys rate. Stick a 737 and 777 captain in the PMDG's, a commercial helo pilot in the Dreamfoil Bell 206, a Dash pilot in the Majestic, and a high time instructor in the A2A C172 or Cherokee.
All of those addons have claims to be created with the input of real pilots, but I would like to see just how impressed a high time pilot is with the planes we look on as the creme de la creme. Maybe there are a great many of them with glaring errors (though perhaps not as with the MD-80, stuff just bugged or outright missing).
EDIT: Also your friend needs his own TH-cam sim channel, he's very listenable :)
+Mirandorl I think a channel did do a video with a 737 F/O on the PMDG 737, he was impressed.
This would be a great video for RotateSim to watch to get ideas for improving their product. I really enjoyed watching this as it gave a lot of insight to how this simulation differs from the actual plane.
What a great idea, having a real pilot with you. Hope you do more like this, maybe with some clips of him at the yoke. Enjoy the holidays.
I love the concept of this video....and it's executed very well. There is something very special about having this kind of access to real information. No posers.....no pretend......just real world knowledge and experience. If only you had more pilots with different type ratings.....because this is awesome!
Thank you froogle....and thank you Paul.....would love to hear more from you about your experiences....and the little idiosyncrasies of the md80.
Really enjoyed this video, great to have the input of a real pilot
Extra cool having an experienced pilot of the aircraft doing an assessment! This should be great help to the developers to tighten down its authenticity. The quality of this planes 3D modeling and paint is exceptional though and deserves much praise especially finding a way around the plastic look of most X-planes. I would like to see an experienced overview of all these sim planes if it were possible as this is quite educational to viewers as well as the developers. I didn't find one bit of this video boring.
Thank you Paul! So very cool of you to do this. Wishing you and Froogle a merry christmas and a very happy new year!
Merry Christmas Eve froogle! I am spending the night in Atlanta and am flying out tomorrow to the Caribbean! When we come back, we are flying on an md-80, and I absolutely love them!
+morgs77cool Have an amazing trip!
+frooglesim thanks
I want to thank Paul for walking us through the aircraft.Froogle you're a gem of a guy for not being too critical because I'm sure the guys producing it put a lot of hard work into it.I hope they do look at the various aspects that you've indicated because those things like bleed speeds and flight dynamics are to me why I even fly X Plane. I can't wait for PMDG gets on board
I loved that you had a real pilot with you while doing the review. I would be super cool to do more of this in the future. I know that I would probably be difficult to have one actually sitting next to you in your house, but what about doing a shared cockpit type situation in online multiplayer? A shared cockpit in the Pro edition of Majestic's Dash 8 Q400 with a real-world dash8 pilot would be super interesting to watch.
Anyway, thanks as always for all your great content!
Froogle, anybody who would be giving you shit for dissing on an obviously broken model is an idiot and not worth your time. Pretty much everything you mentioned was 100% accurate. Rotatesim should be ashamed for publishing such a broken product. Same goes for JARDesigns' A330.
I've dropped some pretty neat dough on models in the past, but at this point I'm pretty much delaying any new purchases until the devs get their heads out of their asses. If somebody is dropping $60+ on a product, they expect it to freakin' work, no questions asked.
What a nice Christmas gift. Froogle. I enjoyed the video as ever as you make high quality reviews. What I like is that you post an honest, well supported opinion of these products, not taking your self to seriously.
For my part, this expert review (have more of them coming, please) supports the general opinion I've seen of some trusted streamers: yes there are some issues, yet it is a fun toy to play with. And, for me more important, the creators are open for improvemen so updates will come.
What I do not understand though about not of the complainers is that the where so in a hurry to throw their money at an unknown developper, without waiting for some expert reviewres they trust.
And, lastly, the PMDG products that are so highly regarded, are still more than 50% more expensive as the most expensive X-Plane model.
I do hope you have a great holiday and start with more great releases in 2016 and that the people that do not agree with what you do or how you do it, look for other places to spoil their vinegar.
Thanks Froogle for involving a real experienced pilot in your assessment and evaluation of a new product. I too have recently purchased a new X-10 Plane aircraft advertised as "fantastic.....real" only to find out the electronics (FMC) just didn't work as it should. I wouldn't mind if it were advertised as a work in progress or Beta but annoyed that even the basic features were inop. Ah well. Live and learn. Please continue to eval new aircraft with a view to flying on VATSIm which requires an operational FMC and recent database. Again Thanks.
Merry Christmas Froogle. That's what I call a First Look, having an actual pilot of the plane. Great video!
Cracking video Froogle, an early Christmas present! Fascinating to get insights from a tenured pilot, especially around why things are there and what order they follow. Great work by both!
Its always soooo cool to see a real, qualified pilot get to fly a simulated version of what he flies every day (I know pilots go through sim training all the time but this is cool to me nonetheless). Reminds me of when a Mig31/L39 pilot piloted the new DCS L39 albatross
Froogle, this is one of the best videos you ever did..I was smilling all the time, thank you :)
The main reason i am a subscriber to this channel is because you are very thorough with your reviews. Merry christmas and keep up the good work.
Merry Christmas everyone :D
now THIS was awesome. So cool hearing an actual mad dog driver talk us through it. My professional goal some day is to know an airplane this complex as inside and out as he does!
Excellent video and amazing perspective from a pilot familiar with the aircraft. Great to see the potential of this aircraft in addition to its flaws!
That was amazing! Paul really impressed me.
Great video, really enjoyed having the real MD-80 captain to go through it
I am constantly amazed at the rudeness and ingratitude exhibited in several of the comments here, most of the authors of which, I would venture, would find difficulty in drawing a proper circle on their computer screen. The hours, days and months that the developers have put in on the incredible modelling of this plane defy belief. $60 barely buys you a simple ten minute filling at a dentist, or a meal at a so-so restaurant. Even if Rotatesim sell several thousand copies of this plane, take off distribution, retailers profits, etc., and divide up the remainder between the development team - well, I doubt they are going to become millionaires! They probably couldn’t afford to wait for years before releasing their product, unlike PMDG seem to. There are some bugs and errors here - that's life! Many of them will get sorted, and some won’t. Even the great A2A are constantly issuing patches and updates for their masterpieces (just read their forums), and even PMDG has to issue patches occasionally. No one is perfect. This MD-80 isn’t a study sim. If the posters want to lay out ten of thousands of dollars, and months of study for their ATPLs, then more for their type rating, that’s fine, but this is $60 for an entertainment product, not a training tool. As for complaints on the interface, at least you don’t have to struggle for hours configuring views in an add-on like EZDOK - if you can get it working in the first place. I watched a TH-cam video where the poster complained about the operation of the X-Plane Garmin 430, when it was his own inability to recognise the difference between large and small curly arrows operating the inner and outer knobs - yes, a bad workman blaming his tools! Thanks to Froogle and Paul for the brilliant video and fair comments, and I’m sure the Rotatesim team will attempt to correct what they can. Happy New Year to all!
Merry Christmas and thank you for addressing the issues with products in X-plane, as an x-plane user I appreciate the honesty
Merry Christmas from England!
Very cool take on first impressions froogle I enjoyed it 👍
Great video, get Paul in more videos if he is willing. Was great to hear his perspective and see him land the plane! keep up the good work!
Excellent video Froogle.... it was a nice treat to have a pilot be featured this time. Like many others i sure cannot wait till you do this with the IXEG737!!!!!!! in the near future.
Me too - Paul is type rated on the 737-300 and standing by
Fantastic!!!
Has the plane gotten any better? I thought about getting it but I'm kinda glad I saw this vid first!
Yeah I think we can all agree a fully loaded flight with froogles friend is much needed :)
Hey Froogle-just a note to thank you for all the work you have done here in 2015, I hope you continue to do the same in 2016....
nice video froogle, your the most More on person I know. :p
anyway, really like these videos when you have such a nice and qualified person with you. it added alot to this.
"Tale Cone Access" at 7:20??? Ooops! Very fun video--thanks!
That was a real good one.
Froogle please bring more real world pilots for your next videos!!!
Thanks
Absolutely wonderful review! I hope you can do more like these in the future.
Thank you so much! I agree 100% about unfinished products. I'm waiting for the ATS simply because they plan to actually release it completed.
How can anyone stand having to drag switches around like that in X-Plane? I have been considering trying out X-Plane... but if that mouse/switch interaction is typical of how X-Plane works I don't think I'd be able to stand it.
He is and his sim is great if you ever come over to Perth I recommend going to fly it you feel like a real NG pilot
So I'm very familiar with how to fly the NG and I love your Pete
Really enjoyed with pilot and co-pilot
Thanks Froogle and Paul... I'll wait for some updates from the dev team before buying it. Glad to hear it has great potential though!
@frooglesim did you show him PMDG 737, 777.. he may enjoy it..
Not sure if this was intentional, but TAIL cone access is spelled TALE cone access @ 7:18
Hi Froogle, Merry Christmas for yesterday! Loved the video, very informative and nice to see a real world pilot flying your sim. The things Paul was describing you could tell only someone who has real world experience would know anything about, were priceless. Oh maybe a new line on tutorial video's for you................A real world pilot flies the sim plane and gives their views on the experience! Great as always, and very enjoyable too, Thank you.
Loved the first imp vid Froogle, I use P3Dv3 but this is something I would like and got to say Paul your a star.
Great great freakin video Pete. Since I've had X-Plane, I have told Jeff that the payware is released too early. Out of approximately 12 or so Payware, I have two that I feel are correct. Ceranado B58 Baron and their B200 King Air. The rest of the Ceranado and Alabeo are nothing but junk. Quality on ALL X-Plane payware SUCKS, some are just not as bad as others. Paul was probably erring on the side of being nice. Again great great video.
+Steven Favignano Thanks Steven. Merry Christmas as well sir.
I disagree... The FF 767 is superb, and the Carenado B1900D as well as C208 is flawless.
Hey froogle, can you try out SimplePlanes and possibly make a video about that?
Do you think you could try the "fly the maddog" by Leonardo Maddog? I'm not sure it works in steam edition or Prepar3d but it definitely works in FSX, simulating the MD-82.
Merry Christmas Froogle and an excellent honest review of this addon. Considering the other very accurate and very high fidelity aircraft available for this price it certainly needs some work doing to it. Looking forward to your video on the Flight Factor 767 which looks like a seriously good addon.
Great video as usual. The only thing I noticed is that you never shit down the APU
Was equally disappointed in the lack of features. It's a joy to looks at. After experiencing the LSH MD-82 with it's numerous details and functionality and at only 30 dollars, 15 if you caught the sale, I feel a bit ripped off. Looking forward to future updates to justify the price point. Have you been keeping track of Tfdi's 717-200 project?
Great idea to have a real MD80 Captain to be involved in this first impression. Hopefully the MD80 will be patched. Thanks to Paul for taking part.
Programming the FMC was comedy gold hahaha
If it flies from A - B with style...then it works.
+Mike Dart ....and for those that want a little more information before dropping $60 there's my videos to check out.
+frooglesim Too bad you took quite some time... or i bought it too soon...
Wow Froogle and Paul. Amazing Video.
allways a pleasure to watch your videos. since you changed to prepare 3d. what are the differences between FSX and p3d and is it wourth to switch for a user? happy new year.
Awesome Video Froogle. Merry Christmas Froogle. Hope It's Awesome For You. Thanks For The Awesome Entertainment Throughout The Year.
Froogle Happy New Year! Quick question for you. What ai traffic addon do you use? Have you done a comparison video with Traffic 360, Mytraffic 6, and Mytraffic 2013, and Ultimate Traffic 2 out there.
+Nightmare74 Ultimate Traffic
Could i hear froogle vaping in the background?
+Brad yeah it's christmas eve and I got tired or trying to edit it out
great video froogle, thanks for that, this add-on looks particularly rough, it also sounds like a tumble dryer running in the VC after take-off - wide berth for me and goes to show it's always wise to wait and do your research before purchasing.
Hi Paul! Are you also going to get the ATS MD-82/83 Study Sim when it comes out this month? It is very good (I bought it when they accidentally published it for sale)
Thats why I wanted my money back... This is a Alpha product and not what I paid for. I wrote about the issues in the .org forum and everyone just went nuts except for the developers.
Same here. I voiced my concerns, and got nothing but hate, warnings, and deleted posts. Customers should be able to warn other customers about unfinished products.
The .org store is very corrupt..... I've heard horror stories about those forums. Stay away haha or you'll get banned
FunFlightsHD I love the forums, it's the corruption I don't love.
+FunFlightsHD If the X-Plane.Org store is corrupt, where is a better, safer place to buypay ware aircraft? Could you help me?
+Jeremy Harvey let me clarify. The forums are corrupt. Keep away from them. The store is fine to buy from
there is no navdata for this plane from navigraph. did you just use the default x-plane data?
I hope to see Paul in future videos if he is free!
froogle where did the cg change from 0 to 5 came from,,,,for me it alwats in the fms stays in zero, i know sometimes it changes but lately in my plane always stays in 0
Great video! Would love to see more with real pilots giving their thoughts on the sims with real world anecdotes.
Hi Froogle, Very interesting video, hope you make more videos like this with real pilots.
Fully agree Froogle and good on you for pointing this out. Getting the Public to beta test your product at $60 a pop is not on.
This is an excellent review, the more so since you have the services of an experienced pilot with time in type.
You raise a point here, one which may be of some significance to the community; and that is the value, if any, of levels of performance and detail that would be noted only by someone with actual experience in the real airplane. A number of performance bits that you have highlighted would simply not be apparent to a non MD-80 pilot, even a real pilot with experience in other airplanes. So in the long run, it may not be as great a flaw for this product if, for example, the EGT rise on engine and/or APU start is more rapid and to a higher temperature than on the real airplane. It would indeed be important if someone was using this product (and I imagine a few new hires and airline pilots just might, as I once did) for training for the real airplane. But for the hobbyist it might be not so critical, provided that the engine did not actually blow up during start!
Ditto for the FMC. As long as you can do whatever operation you are trying to do, and there is documentation in the product to show how, it may not be paramount if the key sequence is exactly like the real thing. Of course, it will be an annoyance to a real pilot on the type, which is why a few aspects of 757 Professional for XPlane drove me nuts at first, but I don't think real MD-80 pilots are the target audience for this product!
On the other hand, it seems that many of the enthusiasts do indeed get hold of real MD-80 manuals somehow, and for this group utter realism may well be of supreme importance. This is one reason why it is useful to have a type rated pilot look the product over, as you have done here.
You also touch upon an area that is disappointing, at least for me, in regard to XPlane, and that is having to tweak it to achieve realistic levels of control response and performance. This is not something that can be done by anyone other than someone with thousands of hours in the real airplane. Indeed, in a commercial product it should not need to be done. Instead it should be taken care of in the coding by the developer, with the assistance of pilots with real world experience in type. Even you, with all of your hours in FSX and XPlane are not really in a position to tweak this product to "fly" more like an MD-80 since you have no exposure to how the real thing flies (I must say, however, that your flying, as displayed in the videos you produce, is excellent, especially for a non pilot!). It should fly realistically right out of the box. If it is difficult to do that in XPlane then that is something that Austin might want to take a look at. I have thus far felt that FS did a better job of this, possibly because of the way that the program handles the flight dynamics. But to each his or her own!
I hope that you can get a 767 pilot to help you look over the new 767-300 Professional for XPlane. I would volunteer myself except for the fact that I have been retired for 8 years now and am no longer current on the type. Indeed, the only thing keeping my memories of that great airplane a bit sharp is flight simulation!
Tony Vallillo
Hey Froogle is there a FSX version?
So Rotate didn't claim study level but people still expected study level. We could debate the price and what we should expect at this price level but why are we getting upset when they delivered what they claim they would.
+nkmsw8 And here we go. The simple answer is at the very very least it doesn't fly like an md-80, particularly in the descent. The custom FMS, an advertised feature is not accurate. And so the list goes on. Basically to address your comment they did not deliver (yet) what they claimed they would, that being the "most accurate replica of the popular aircraft".
+frooglesim Yup. That is nearly word-for-word for what they said in their first ever post on their website.
+nkmsw8 Add in the fact that X-plane actually support better avionic system modeling, I fail to understand why most developer simply just failed to explore the full potential of the engine.
+frooglesim maybe I've been fooled then by all the other reviews I've been reading and watching since this aircraft came out. The majority of "simmers" (not real world pilots) seem to enjoy this aircraft tremendously.
Now, I'll have no mercy for a developer who claims study level and it's not. I'm way more lenient though with the best MD80 for X-Plane at the moment that has a "custom" FMS which to me means custom to what the developer wanted to include but not an actual representation of what in the real airplane has. I'll concede the point that the aircraft should have more drag than it has now with gear and flaps extended and also the few things that were pointed out by the real world captain but this developer seems open to correcting things.
Just felt the review was a tad too harsh for a non study level addon. Still love your channel though. I'm a happy subscriber.
Thanks Froogle. Somebody has been needing to make a video like this for a long time, X-Plane add-ons are overpriced and over-hyped, and the work-in-progress forums are full of people pouring undeserved praise on products and promising to buy them the moment they are released.
I had high hopes for this, the 767 from Flightfactor, and the 737 from IXEG. It is already looking like the first two are not up to their price tags and IXEG have already started making noises that the first release of the 737 will have significant limitations.
I really wanted to leave FSX behind in 2016 and start flying in X-Plane full time, but it's looking less likely that will happen.
Merry Christmas
That sim.must be awesome
Is Tail cone also spelled wrong on the real aircraft? :P
I'd like to see the same video with the A.T.S Md 80 when it's out
That´s the way you review an add on.. congratulations...
Hi froogle really enjoyed your video
Commendable video! Now all the devs have to do is watch this closely and apply the fixes. Then realise if they are going to ask a full price for a sim, it must be accurate with all switches working, otherwise we are all going to be disappointed and view future releases with suspicion! Oh and Pete, if you know any 767/737 Pilots, perhaps they would be willing to join you in future tests. This would perhaps help to ensure future releases don't get released as a "beta".
Hello Froogle. I have a request. I have been flying the Carenado Cessna 152 for a while now and I have to say that it is one of my favorite airplanes. I know that the sounds may not be that great, and the interior and exterior textures may not be PMDG level, and I know that the FDM might not be as great as an A2A aircraft. But I would like to hear you opinion on it. You being an experienced flight simmer it might put things into perspective alot better. Thanks! -Dylan
Merry Christmas...really enjoyed the video..sometimes learning on the fly..discovering issues with plane compared to real world...more entertaining than everything going perfect to plan..Also enjoyed the MD-80 captains experience with the sim version..Comparisons he made..Very interested purchasing this model..perfect or not
Does anyone have fps issues with this aircraft?
I bought this aircraft and love it. I think the problem nowadays is if something won't meet the PMDG standards then it isn't good enough. We as FSX and P3D simmers have been spoiled
+roygrem I think when something is being held as a study level sim, and if you follow Froogle's channel he expresses quite often the difference between study level and 'fly for fun' planes, it isn't bad to compare it to other study level sims (ie. PMDG). It also tells you what you're getting yourself into if you purchase the product with that in mind. I personally enjoy things as realistic as they can be, and though it's not a big deal from an enjoyment standpoint, even not being able to start engine 2 first would kind of bug me along with systems modeling. Wouldn't necessarily stop me from buying / flying it though. The bar has been set high, but that doesn't mean it's not an enjoyable plane, and it seemed that they both enjoyed flying it.
siege00 I agree with you, I just think you have to look and see all the resources PMDG have versus rotatesim and understand "Hey it may not have all the bells and whistles as the PMDG but it is a great plane"
+siege00 The issue with engine 2 not starting had to do with him forgetting to turn on the air. All he had to do was recycle the start switch, and it would have spooled up. Why when he flipped the starter for engine 1, it worked. No special sequence.
+roygrem do you have any fps issues? i get with jardesign a320 40-50fps with HDR, and only 15fps without HDR in rotatesim md80, any suggestions?
The Pilot's Life 97 What's your system specs?
HOLA GRACIAS FELIZ NAVIDAD
+commander402 Merry Christmas Senor.
to do the T/O functoin i think you press T/O then EPR LIM or at least that what it tells you in the tutorial flight
+jacob prescott Good to know - but it's wrong.
+frooglesim in what way am i wrong (i am always wrong) or is it the systems that are wrong lol, i dont know any more. Oh and BTW merry Christmas from England as always it cold dark and raining
+jacob prescott It's wrong the way it's shown on the tutorial flight. From what i could understand from the video, simply by pressing the T/O buttons on the trhottle you can arm the T/O function.
+jacob prescott No, you're probably not wrong, the sim is wrong. As we showed, an experience MD-80 captain would normally hit the T/O buttons on the throttle. They are there in the sim, so why code up some obtuse workaround - just make those buttons do it.
frooglesim ahhh ok thanks froogle you cleared that up for me. if you know may i ask what EPR LIM even does on the real plane or should do in the sim. thanks alot.
Hey Froogle Merry Christmas! Nice video and a very good idea to take advantage of Paul`s knowledge of MD80s.
Any chance of a video introducing Paul to an FSX MD80 and see his thoughts and reactions?
Thanks in advance! Happy Holidays.
Thanks you for your contributions in 2015 and starting 2016 with this very good video. This year, can you make more instructional videos for newbie X-Plane users. My preferred flight sim platform is Prepar3d v3.x (and 20 years FSX) but every now and again I try a flight in X-Plane 10.41 only to give up because of it's very different user interface. After seeing videos like this one, and knowing there is no MD-80 of this quality in FSX or P3D I'm tempted to go and buy it, but am reluctant because of my limited knowledge in X-Plane (yes I visit the popular sites for tutorials and videos) and watched your own X-Plane videos which were most helpful. Perhaps a "X-Plane for Prepar3D Users" series.
I use the MD80 from Leonardo for FSX and it's phenomenal! 😉
Its level is identical to a 737 from PMDG!
Love DC9 family!
Love Leonardo's Fly the Maddog. It is PHENOMENAL! Only wish they updated it to current performance and graphics standards. But you are right....it's excellent...and it's system fidelity and flight model are sublime for its age. If only it worked with P3D. I wonder....does it work with fsx steam edition?
@frooglesim This video displays your prowess and your humble power by demonstrating your commitment to bring an expert in to bring a different aspect to your review process. This is why I consider you an industry expert and have enjoyed your channel for an enjoyable period of time.
Hi Froogle, I have a question in regards to Windows 10. Have you done any test with FSX and win 10. I would love to watch all your videos but I just don't have time. I seem to have issues after installing all my addons. This is not the steam edition either. Hope to hear you have done tests. Thx!
+Paul Doyle I have not done anything with Windows 10 no
+frooglesim understood thanks!! You're one of the few I enjoy hear technical insight from for FSX. Looking forward to thoughts once you do.
Man I always wanted to see a real pilot comparing these sims with reality, tumps up!
merry Christmas
oh in the video i saw a Insel air aruba MD-83 thats my flag carier
in others tube videos the autothrottle and fms speed works well
But not the way an md-80 should work
+frooglesim thanks for that,,,, remark, i think those bugs mostly regarding the speed while gliding on final, is not small issue,,,hope its solved
Hey Froogle i know it'll be a throw back but can you do a review on the a2a p-40 or p-47?
i know ur busy but i really appreciate ur vids thanks :)
how do I activate it. I'm not getting the option
Is that a vape I hear? Probably the best video yet. Great job Froogle.
+Jordan King Yes, I got tired of editing them all out
+frooglesim Only someone who does it would even know what they hear. Coincidentally, I'm vaping while watching. #vapepilots lol
Froogle vapes? Jordan too? That makes three of us! The only difference between you guys and me is that I got clouds that make the ones in the sky look small 😂😜😏 great video
LOL!
+Jordan King I'm usually on the hookah.