A318

[Hugar V Hughes]

Any news on the A318 model?. 

[Lars Hajema]

Hello Hugar,

as far as I know they where looking at a A318 but no firm decisions are made yet. The A319 and A321 are in the works though.

Cheers,

Lars

[Hugar V Hughes]

Thanks for the reply..... But I really hope they give it some serious thought. 

[Lars Hajema]

You're welcome, I hope they do as well. It's a great little airbus 

[Richard Portier]

+1

Regards,

[J_U_A_N__R-A-M-O-S]

I hope they don't ignore it just because its the baby one. The children's are our future

[Hugar V Hughes]

I am just dying to fly the London city approach in an aircraft that's close to the real thing. Please Fslabs please make the A318....

[François CHAUSSE]

The A318, the only one for exciting steep approaches....

Hope FSL will do it

[Daniel Reber]

I would say, first of all let them finish their expansion packages and at least the A321 SL version unless sharklets for A319, A320 and A321 are ment with "A320 Sharklet Update"

 

 

And as an appeal to FSLabs.

There are soooooo many A321SL out there. (Maybe even more than A320SL?) 

 

Let´s take germany. We have 4 A321 operators here in Germany (well. One of them is gone)

That´s Lufthansa, airberlin, Condor and Germania.

The only operator not operating A321SL is Lufthansa

 

Austria:

Austrian, Niki, Laudamotion. Niki operated A321SL

 

Switzerland: 

Swiss, Belair, Germania Flug

 

All of them operate/operated (for Belair) A321 SL

 

Other operators: 

 

Thomas Cook, American, Delta, Finnair, Monarch, Etihad, Jetblue, Turkish Airlines, Iran Air, Vueling,  EVA, Aeroflot, Spirit, Frontier, China Southern, Wizz, Philippines, Air Astana, LATAM, and many more. And why is it so important?

 

I can give you the airberlin group as an example. We used to be the biggest Mallorca carrier. And our planes were booked out most of all times. Same goes for flights to Madeira, Teneriffa, Corfu and destinations like those. The A321 typed planes were of enormous importance for us, especially on the flights to Mallorca. And that´s why we decided to order A321 SL to increase efficency. And there will be more and more A321SL operators. Please think about that. The A321 and with that A321SL is very very important for many airlines. Especially regarding tourism. The A321SL has an unbeatable performance. And it would be sad to not have this plane as a part of the FSLabs Airbus family.

 

Thank you

[Zsolt Monostori]

On 5/9/2018 at 6:04 PM, Daniel Reber said:

I would say, first of all let them finish their expansion packages and at least the A321 SL version unless sharklets for A319, A320 and A321 are ment with "A320 Sharklet Update"

 

 

And as an appeal to FSLabs.

There are soooooo many A321SL out there. (Maybe even more than A320SL?) 

 

Let´s take germany. We have 4 A321 operators here in Germany (well. One of them is gone)

That´s Lufthansa, airberlin, Condor and Germania.

The only operator not operating A321SL is Lufthansa

 

Austria:

Austrian, Niki, Laudamotion. Niki operated A321SL

 

Switzerland: 

Swiss, Belair, Germania Flug

 

All of them operate/operated (for Belair) A321 SL

 

Other operators: 

 

Thomas Cook, American, Delta, Finnair, Monarch, Etihad, Jetblue, Turkish Airlines, Iran Air, Vueling,  EVA, Aeroflot, Spirit, Frontier, China Southern, Wizz, Philippines, Air Astana, LATAM, and many more. And why is it so important?

 

I can give you the airberlin group as an example. We used to be the biggest Mallorca carrier. And our planes were booked out most of all times. Same goes for flights to Madeira, Teneriffa, Corfu and destinations like those. The A321 typed planes were of enormous importance for us, especially on the flights to Mallorca. And that´s why we decided to order A321 SL to increase efficency. And there will be more and more A321SL operators. Please think about that. The A321 and with that A321SL is very very important for many airlines. Especially regarding tourism. The A321SL has an unbeatable performance. And it would be sad to not have this plane as a part of the FSLabs Airbus family.

 

Thank you

Agree with every single word! I actually take it even further: for me the A321 isn't an option unless there is a sharklet variant. All my favourite operators use sharklet variants, in fact most real world operators do these days or at least are in the process of retrofitting their fleet. 

Another very important thing I'd like to point out is the satcom antenna (dome) which seems to be installed on more and more aircraft. I saw Aerosoft's promo screenshot, they already added it onto their upcoming Airbus series. I would very much love to see FSLabs also adding the satcom antenna as an option.

Cheers,
Zsolt

[Daniel Reber]

Yeah, the antenna is also important. Alsmost every single new aircraft´s being delivered with the antenna. And speaking from the airberlin group, I know we were about to retrofit it to our Airbus fleet. And Lufthansa will also retrofit the whole A320 Family.

[John Moore]

Any news/updates on this? Steep approaches just don’t feel the same in a Q400..

[Timm Rehberg]

Guys, I wonder why you're requesting a A318 instead of a A380 or A350.. even a A330 would be nice even tho that I think the Aerosoft A330 will be good enough for long-haul flights!
Let them finish the A32x master series (without the useless A318 ) and let them focus on bigger things please!! We are waiting for Airbus long-haul simulations!!!

[Hugar V Hughes]

I requested the A318 because I think since it's so close to the A320 and A319 it would be much easier to design. I agree we need a long haul aircraft, but that will take years not months. Now that Airbus controls the CS100 & CS300 I would love to see those aircrafts. 

[Daniel Reber]

41 minutes ago, Hugar V Hughes said:

I requested the A318 because I think since it's so close to the A320 and A319 it would be much easier to design. I agree we need a long haul aircraft, but that will take years not months. Now that Airbus controls the CS100 & CS300 I would love to see those aircrafts. 

Well. How long did they need to bring the A319? That would be nearly the same, if not even more regarding the timeframe. 

 

And even if Airbus controls the CS series, there is still a hell of a difference between the CS series and ANY Airbus. I think, we won´t see the CS series done by FSL and I also think, FSL will decide not to develop the A318. 

 

At least they wouldn´t get my money for this bird. And  many share my opinion.

[Søren Dissing]

13 hours ago, Daniel Reber said:

...And  many share my opinion.

- and many share the opposite opinion !

[Richard Portier]

6 hours ago, Søren Dissing said:

- and many share the opposite opinion !

Yep, clearly!

Thank you and Regards,

[Daniel Reber]

6 hours ago, Søren Dissing said:

- and many share the opposite opinion !

And now the question is: is it worth developing the A318 for Flightsimlabs, as they model all the differences in flight dynamics and so on. And you for yourself know, there are by FAR less A318 operators than A319/A320/A321

 

My opinion is that it wouldn´t be the right way to go for them...

[J_U_A_N__R-A-M-O-S]

I do remember when @Lefteris Kalamaras said that not long ago... or was it @Andrew Wilson?

Quote

"We choose to develop the A318 in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. "

 

[Marc Ehnle]

A biker friend of mine flew the 737 classic, the 757 and 767, then the A340 and is currently on A380 and will retire on this aircraft. He also collected several hours on the A320 series sim during his transit from Boeing to Airbus. His words were "the Boeings all have their own flight characteristics, every airplane needs to be treated very differently, on every of those you have a different feeling for the controls and get a very personal feedback, also from the cockpit. On an Airbus the differences are much smaller. The fly by wire makes the 319, 320, 321 feel so similar that you easily could forget in which model you are sitting if you switched between them daily. The nearly same flightdeck won't remind you at all. Even the much heavier A340 and 380 feel close to the 320 on the sidestick due to the FBW. You feel the mass, but still it's general Airbus feeling." 

Yeah, he's probably a real Boeing guy, but what I understand so far is that the differences we get with the 321 and later on the 318 are rather subtle. A modified fuel system. A more slippery body. Added features like the bug smasher and icing on the 319 or maybe an airport map with the 321? But there aren't many differences in the way we, as PC pilots, (can) fly the airplane. So were is the sense to stick with the 320 series and model all of the different versions when we actually don't really feel a difference? I have the 320 and I have the 319. I have flown both with the autopilot and manually, for the few hours a week I have there is actually no noticable difference. Dirty windows, yes... brake a bit earlier.. haven't noticed it that much. I approached Vienna with the 319 just like I do with the 320: Always a bit too high, always a bit too fast. Maybe I had to use the speed brakes a bit longer with the 319, I don't know. But I had a dirty side window out of nowhere and dead bugs on the wind shield in 3000feet AGL. Well, maybe a bit high. Next we will get the 321 and right now I am not sure for what reason. For a longer flight, for slightly different emergency procedures, for a longer refueling? Don't get me wrong, I don't forget that you (FSL) do really great work on the simulation, but I guess I don't get the real difference for us as PC pilots. We don't simulate airline operations, I also can't imagine that FSL will cooperate with PMDG concerning GFO to be a Tier 1/2(whatever)-option, as there's also no co-op with FS2Crew. So we fly a sole 319, 320, 321, 318 single pilot, are happy with bugs, icing, maybe an airport map, maybe this, maybe that, deactive the sink rate alert for steep approaches, try to strike the tail on the 321. But the airplane is still nearly the same: 320-series. 

Now, as Airbus has assimilated the Bombardier C-series to be the A220, this would probably be a worthy FSL product. Or the fat ones, 330, 340, 350, 380, 3XL. 

I PERSONALLY am fine with what I have now and as much as I appreciate the outstanding quality of the FSL products so far (which also includes the Concorde, that is nothing for me) I believe that, sticking with the 320 series for the (subjectivly expected) next 2-3 years, this will have been the last product from FSL for me for a longer time. Not meant to sound bitchy, but a (also subjectivly) realistic evaluation... 

If there's something great, magical, unbelievable about an A318 or 321 when I already have the 320 and 319 which I miss, please enlighten me. 

[J_U_A_N__R-A-M-O-S]

I do notice the difference between the 320 and the 319, specially during climb and descent. The climb performance of an A320 is the same of a limping turtle going uphill... in reverse. The A319 CFM on the other hand... wow.

Also the looks and the range.

[Aaron Ortega]

An A-318 from FSLabs would be great.  That said, the entire Airbus line would be great.  LOL.

[J0hannes Butz]

Marc, I - at least for myself - really feel the differences from sitting at my desk. The A319 flies a bit lighter, I feel it's a bit sportier when moving it through the air manually and is different to flare on point. Also only needing 10t of block fuel for a trip that would take over 12t in the A320 makes a good difference on takeoff. Turning the '19 on ground feels like driving like a maniac at 10kts compared to the '20... And I'm still sitting here admiring the work the guys put in it on every flight.

These suttle differences are what makes these planes, same story for why PMDG developed the 777-200L/R and then the -300 as an expansion, the 737-8/9 with expansion to -6/7. It's not only about having the option to fly the airplane that is used on the real route, but also simulate it's characteristics, it's fuel burn, calculations etc.

If you look at it from the Aerosoft perspective, sure, having a non-complex simulation of all aircraft for a reasonable amount of money is one way to go about simulation products, but FSL has a different target audience and is constantly raising the bar to what is possible in the sim, keeping other dev's on their toes, this is what you should always remember.

I for one like to simulate real flights according to schedules on FlightRadar24 or now the integrated feature of ProjectFLY. To be able to feel the differences like a real pilot that would have flown the A320 the last day and then flies on the '19 (if rating allows?) the next day is something truly amazing and something I don't want to miss in the future any more and I'm really looking forward to the '21. If you monitor your flights through something like ProjectFLY and you have direct feedback of your landings, the differences maybe get a bit more obvious to you.

Now - no one forces you to buy the FSL products! And no one wants you to not share your opinion. I'm just saying maybe regard the people around you in this forum, the hardcore simmers, the realism-nerds, the real pilots and the list goes on! Maybe this isn't the way for you any many others here to go - but for me (and again many others in these forums) it is.

I'm curious to when the '21 comes out, as Andrew stated that they're further into the project as many of us think, so maybe it's possible for them to crank out the '18 without compromising too much time off their future "flies further" projects.

[Marc Ehnle]

I'm a big fan of FSLabs and the realism they bring to P3D. I really am. And sry.. Aerosoft has become an absolute no-go for me. All this "professional" arrogance, the way they (don't) model things and tell people "it isn't possible to do it differently" where developers like FSL, PMDG, Majestics or scnerey devs like FT, ORBX, Flightbeam have already proven it actually IS possible... with a little effort... And THEN using the DRM debacle to advertise their Airbus to be "free of any copy protection".. disgusting. This company won't get a single cent again from my side. Beside that I don't need a "simulation" that does nothing but fly whatever I do. I know why I got the FSL versions and I try to get the most out of them. And sure, I am fully aware of the differences regarding the performance. And I love having the direct comparison between two models of the same series. But to be honest, that's enough. Sure I can't speak for other people but I'm pretty sure that's the reason why there hasn't come a 777-200ER from PMDG. -200LR and -300ER, enough to experience for an average simmer's life. I basically never touch the 737-600 and -900. If the 700 and 800 were available as a bundle, I would only have those. And that's what >>I<< think about the 320 series, too. If I got the 318 I would probably land at London City, do a flight from Heathrow to JFK, overshoot the turn in Innsbruck... and then stick with either the 320 or the 319. But if there was another "different" airbus like the 330 or 340, my regular hangar would have to be extended. That's the same as with PMDG.. One, maybe two 737s, one 777, soon two 747 and that's it. I have tried the different 747s, found the model and airline that works best for me and I mostly use this (basically that I don't have to share the airframe hours :D) If I flew too many of those models I would sure note many differences but would also get bogged down. I couldn't even try to fly a model professionally like for example I once did with the NGX and do now with the 747-400.  Although - of course - the similar systems and layout have a lot to commend. 

 

Quote

so maybe it's possible for them to crank out the '18 without compromising too much time

Copy and paste must be good for something   and maybe the way from the 321 to the 340 isn't that far xD

[Norman Blackburn]

43 minutes ago, Marc Ehnle said:

Copy and paste must be good for something   and maybe the way from the 321 to the 340 isn't that far xD

Other people might do that but for us each model is done separately.

[J0hannes Butz]

Yeah in that case I'm in the same boat...

It's just been so emotional of both sides to either get FSL to make the '18 or leave it... Both options have their advantages I guess, and what I wanted to say with "putting out the '18 in less time than you think" is that they have built the A320 for 6 years, now for the last years the '19 and their infrastructure has grown to where they may be able to use this to their advantage in every product (as stated in one of the initial FSX release streams "we developed the computers, so like on the real plane we can interchange those").

Sure there goes more into a finished product than that, but I guess the release of the '21 will teach us about the time frames that FSL are aiming for doing, and I hope that once the infrastructure is as complete as they want it to, the development will be able to speed up significantly, just like the way Airbus does their business (regarding A330 & A340).

[Marc Ehnle]

1 hour ago, Norman Blackburn said:

Other people might do that but for us each model is done separately.

Norman, please... That was a joke

[Norman Blackburn]

1 hour ago, Marc Ehnle said:

Norman, please... That was a joke

I was pretty sure it was but it was in case others came behind and thought "Hey what a great idea"

 

[Nuno M Pinto]

I love this forum =)

[Norman Blackburn]

4 minutes ago, Nuno M Pinto said:

I love this forum =)

Not half as much as we love you @Nuno M Pinto 

[Nuno M Pinto]

LOL! Okay, time to leave before this gets worse hahahahah.

j/k

 

[Benjamin Bavel]

I know I am late.  I know that we are 2020 now.  I also know MSFS2020 is around the corner.  With all these factors, and knowing now that the A321 was released, and next in line is A320 Sharklets, can we expect a decision for the A318?

[Sabine Meier]

Just now, Benjamin Bavel said:

I know I am late.  I know that we are 2020 now.  I also know MSFS2020 is around the corner.  With all these factors, and knowing now that the A321 was released, and next in line is A320 Sharklets, can we expect a decision for the A318?

There roadmap has been set and won’t change I think.