question about handling and fun of flying

Hey,

with the Hornet being the star of the show still, i have of course thought about buying her, because i like the multi-role aspect, naval operations and the general quality, the module seems to aim for.

I have however doubts, that i will enjoy the module that much, because of the handling characteristics with the fbw (fly-by-wire) controls.

I happen to own flaming cliffs, so i decided to try out the su-27/33 to get a taste of how a high fidelity flight model with fbw might feel like and i did not really enjoy it.

Even the f-15c with it's very effective sas alone feels a bit too much "on rails" for my taste (that said, it is clearly only preference or taste, as i find both flight models believable and realistic as far as i can tell...).

So how does the f-18 compare to the su-27/33 and f-15 in terms of handling and general "feel"?

Also, i'm wondering if maybe the f-18 feels a bit more hands-on and visceral, simply because of the attention to details in the fm, to give her more character even though she is still on the leash of the fbw?

So, how do you feel about the f-18 in this regard, especially those of you, who enjoy the more "hands-on" aircrafts?

ps: i mostly fly the a-10c, f-5, bf-109, yak-52 and just "discovered" the mig-29, which is a joy to fly for me, but -well- not a full fidelity module unfortunately...

If you are looking for hands on, I think the Tomcat will be your winner when it comes out shortly. Harrier is pretty hands on too. Me, when I really want to fly raw I go helicopters or WWII birds, but the Tomcat sounds like it will be a handful to fly well.

Viggen!

Yes, the 18 can be "on rails" as you put it. Although I find it can also be like driving a big truck sometimes and other times like being a bee. So its rewarding when you can get the very best out of it. I definitely don't think it lacks character, its just where the extremes of its character lies that may not appeal to some. By comparison I had a love/hate thing with the SU27 in FC3 especially because sometimes it was an absolute joy to fly and then suddenly it'd basically be hellbent on killing you. Then you have the good old dependable SU-25 which is just looking for an excuse to kill you as soon as you try and push it.

High fidelity migs, helicopters, tomcat, and of course the viggen?

My favorite fun-flyer is the L-39 . Light , responsive controls and an unbelievably tight turn . You get to actually use the rudder , too :)

I have practically no experience in the FC aircraft to compare the Hornet to them.

With the Hornet, I was surprised how much hands-on it feels despite the FBW. It certainly doesn't relay the flying-on-rails-feeling I was partly expecting, with the FPM often a little bit above or below the 0-degree pitch line.

I'm starting to get a feel for its weight, and the engines are surprisingly slow to react to throttle input, which makes landings and particularly carrier landings a lot more difficult than I expected.

The Hornet can fly at insane amounts of AoA and still be (somewhat) controllable, but it'll certainly let you know that you're now flying at the edge of the envelope.

Personally, I'm really surprised how hands-on and natural it feels all around (from my purely flight sim based point of view).

it listens to everything you tell it to do

if you want an aircraft with sass that talks back at you the bug is not what you want

its got all the steadiness of the f-15 but instead of buffeting at high aoa your nose will just keep moving

thanks for all the answers.

I'm still not sure about the hornet, but your advise does help.

I have the Hornet but don't use it much because of the FBW feel. The systems and capabilities are awesome, but I lack the time to dive into it.

I also recommend the Viggen in your case.

The Su-27/33 FBW is nothing like the Hornet system, you shouldn't use flying those as an impression of what its like.

I really enjoy flying it, sure it has relatively carefree handling as far as the way the FBW protects you from being a total idiot. But it still requires its own flying style to get the most out of its handling. The carrier work is a GREAT challenge that nothing else in the sim world can provide currently and as the systems get fleshed out its really becoming a very interesting multirole aircraft to learn. As far as I'm concerned its a must have module. IMHO anyway.

thanks for your opinions.

I have decided to save the money for the upcoming f-14. No FBW and all the active aerodynamic shenanigans one could want. Should be fun!