Self loading cargo VS. PACX. VS A Pilot's life?

[SoullessGinger]

Which ones do y'all like to use better or none at all? I have used A pilots life a few times but all that really does is give me a schedule for a certain airline and that's about it. I am just looking for something more immersive or that actually makes me have a point to fly.

[★Macman★]

Rookie-31st uses FSEconomy which I haven't used as I'm on Skypark which may add similar Cargo Weights at some point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWVzJP8T2WY

[Rookie-31st]

FSEconomy is one of the oldest add-ons to provide economy for the game. It is not very user friendly, but it is free and very comprehensive with persistent multiplayer world. You can go to any airport in the world, but you're limited by airplane availability - you cannot simply use airplanes your game has, FSEconomy world has limited selection and many models exist only in different games or as mods (add-on is shared by MSFS, FSX, XP and P3D). So, I use FSEconomy now as Macman said above but I might switch to something else later.

OnAir is very similar to FSEconomy, with better UI. It also has AI personnel and even AI pilots in lower difficulty worlds. Major difference is that player has in-game avatar and is attached to its location when selecting jobs. You also keep rented aircraft until rent is canceled (results in some fees if aircraft is not at home base). Some people like it, some don't. OnAir is not free, but has 7-day free trial, no strings attached.

There is also NeoFly (free), Air Hauler 2, and of course SkyPark, but they are not offering multiplayer worlds at the moment. Not sure if you want one, though. SkyPark is the simplest one as it lets you fly the planes you have in the game as your own, without limitations.

Depending on your preferred airplanes and type of flying, you might find one or the other more appealing.

[SoullessGinger]

I did use FSEconomy for a while but it was too outdated for me... Then I tried OnAir and I really enjoyed it except the part about having to start with small aircraft as I really enjoy the airliners, and also I would get sick of flying the same scenery over and over... And the price was rather high in a sense.

I just want something that will give me a reason to fly besides me just aimlessly picking two random airports if that makes sense.

[Rookie-31st]

Take a look at the SkyPark then. You can use any plane there, no need to start career from scratch. It is very simple contract "randomizer". Currently in early access, so more features will come. Check it out, there are reviews on YouTube and Twitch

[SoullessGinger]

Originally posted by Rookie-31st:

Take a look at the SkyPark then. You can use any plane there, no need to start career from scratch. It is very simple contract "randomizer". Currently in early access, so more features will come. Check it out, there are reviews on YouTube and Twitch

Does it take into fuel and weight? I know in OnAir I only had a certain amount of fuel and weight I could hold depending on the cargo or passengers I was carrying.

[Rookie-31st]

No, right now SkyPark is not tracking fuel and weight. You can fly with unlimited fuel, and cargo has no weight.

[Schmegg]

Originally posted by Rookie-31st:

No, right now SkyPark is not tracking fuel and weight. You can fly with unlimited fuel, and cargo has no weight.

... though this is not enforced. There is nothing stopping one from adding weight to simulate cargo and not using unlimited fuel - which is, I suspect, what many do. I do - though, as Rookie says, SkyPark doesn't really care (at the moment).

[toolpusher33]

Skypark, Neofly , Air manager, Airhauler2 etc just interact and read the sensors available to them from the sim. In essence they are just an overlay. So yes, you can fail contracts in all of them for flying to high being over weight etc. but you still have to manually add weights etc through the sim. I think some people think they become part of the sim and change how the sim actually works. This will never be allowed.

[Rookie-31st]

Originally posted by toolpusher33:

but you still have to manually add weights etc through the sim.

Not exactly. OnAir and FSEconomy actually do this automatically. Their clients add the fuel/weight at flight start and monitor values until the end.

[Schmegg]

Originally posted by Rookie-31st:

Originally posted by toolpusher33:

but you still have to manually add weights etc through the sim.

Not exactly. OnAir and FSEconomy actually do this automatically. Their clients add the fuel/weight at flight start and monitor values until the end.

That's pretty cool. I'm guessing they also tell you how much is added so that you don't get a nasty surprise halfway down the runway. XD

[Rookie-31st]

Absolutely. You choose contract yourself based on available aircraft's capabilities. If you can't load all cargo into one plane, OnAir lets you split the load so you can fly it in parts or share assignment with others. FSEconomy cannot split cargo, but like OnAir it allows combining small assignments into one or more flights, so you can fill the aircraft and do really long multistop flight, unloading and loading along the way, taking detours to deliver some cargo, etc.. That's probably the most fun, although simple A to B is still the easiest, just make sure assignment and aircraft fit each other.