by tikibar » Mon Aug 28, 2017 8:28 pm
So far, this thread has concentrated on study-level aircraft, which are in the process of being developed. There are others that, while not to the level of something you could use in flight training, are in very good shape, very flyable, and highly developed. The 777 is one of those. If you look at the MP map, you'll see that it is probably the most popular airliner in the multiplayer world, if that really matters.
Not to toot my own horn, but the airliners listed in my signature below are also in good shape (and you can get all of them directly from the launcher in recent versions of FG). I would say the 757 and the MD-11 are top of the list, with good external models and decent to good cockpit models. The systems for both are pretty advanced. The 767 and 747-8 external models are decent, but I wouldn't call them top-notch. The 767 has virtually the same cockpit as the 757 and the same systems. The 747-8 cockpit is decent with lots of working buttons and switches, and the systems are in good shape.
The 777 and all 4 aircraft I've been working on have YASim FDMs, so they come with the limitations associated with that. But for an aircraft where you'll be spending 95% or more of your time with the autopilot engaged, I consider those limitations less of an issue. If you fly too slow, they'll still fall out of the sky like you'd expect. If you land too fast, you'll go off the other end of the runway. They may not feel exactly like flying a real airliner, but neither does sitting in an office chair controlling it with a mouse.
So, bottom line: depending on what you're looking for, there are a few levels of well-developed airliner available to you. You've got the study-level stuff it0uchpods is working on or the 707 or Tu154b, you've got the armchair-pilot-with-a-dayjob stuff like the 777 or the 757 and 747-8, and you've got the toys, some of which work, and others not so much.