Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8001 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Aerosoft
• Released on: 2008-05-16
• Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP

Manufacturer's Description
The PMDG 747-400 is the answer for 747 enthusiasts who demand exceptional functionality and visual appeal! Stunning photo real cockpit and exterior models combined with accurate systems functionality. After the great success of PMDG's 737 The Next Generation series, the latest production of PMDG 747-400 Queen of the Skies is destined to become every airliner enthusiast's favourite Flight Simulator aircraft.In order to provide the sophistication, technical details and challenge of commercial airline flying to the enthusiast, the PMDG 747-400 Queen of the Skies meets exacting standards for quality and completeness. From the photo-real cockpit to systems programmed after engineering schematics, no effort has been spared during the extensive development process. This has been verified by a dedicated beta test team, comprised of aviation professionals, airline pilots and Flight Simulator experts.

Customer Reviews

The essential desktop simulation
PMDG proved themselves as the market-leading developers of flight simulator add-ons after their release of the 747 Queen of the Skies package for Flight Simulator 2004. Although not a new development, over a year was spent revamping the aircraft for Flight Simulator X and it is clear that no effort was spared in the process.

In essence it's the same product as the PMDG 747 Add-On for FS 2004 (PC CD) (of which I wrote a review for on this site if you want to look into more detail), however certain features have been updated to meet the standards that FSX allows, as well as the inclusion of brand new features. It would be important to mention at this stage that, if you are looking for a pretty aircraft whereby you can press Ctrl+E and fly off, this add-on will probably cause a great deal of frustration as its systems are modeled to a very high degree of operational accuracy. As far as documentation is concerned, all the printed manuals contain the same information as before (I was disheartened to find that PMDG did not implement the WXR weather radar in the FSX version).

Here is a list of improvements and additions you will find the PMDG 747-400X:

- New 3DS Max model with shine and bump map technology.
- New night and dome lighting.
- Updated vertex animations for smooth, non-segmented wing flex.
- New visual fuel dump and engine fire effects.

Queen of the Skies has all the qualities of a well developed, well tested and highly immersive add-on. I consider this product to be the number one 747-400 simulation for FSX. Since this is a recent edit of the same review I wrote a while ago for the 747-400X, it would be worth noting that PMDG have come a long way since this add-on was released. If you're looking for the latest flight simulation software, I would recommend the PMDG MD 11X (PC), which enters the next realm of realism.

Five stars from FS Geek!

Fantastic... if you can put the time into it.
This is the FSX version of the PMDG 747 which, when it came out for FS2004 set a new standard for add-ons. Once again, there is little doubt that this is the most detailed add-on ever produced for flight simulator, both technically and visually. You get both the passenger and cargo versions, with all engine options available, and while it only includes the default PDMG paint, dozens are available on the website for free.

While the aircraft looks stunning, the real beauty of the product is actually controlling the plane. It comes with a nearly 100% functioning FMC, and pretty much everything else in the cockpit does exactly what it does in real life- I didn't notice any 'dud' switches that don't do a thing. With all that said though, if you're not an FSX geek (I'm not) you'll probably be needing to spend a fair bit of time reading the manual to get anything out of this. The simulation is incredibly deep, but you can stick to the basics- learning how to program a basic flight without sid/stars or any of the other fancy stuff took me about an hour.

Without doubt, this is an absolutly fantastic add-on. If you do decide to get this though, be aware that you'll need to put a fair bit of time into learning how the sim works. PDMG have lots of help on their website for those that get stuck, and there are many many fans that will help if you need it. I wouldn't suggest this game for new flight-sim players (there are plenty of quality but simpler and cheaper add-ons), but for anyone else that is up for a challenge, you won't be disapointed!

Essential
With out doubt the most important flight sim add on, complete in everyway love it, fmc is great, a must for and flight sim fan