MSFS | Leonardo MADDOG MD-82 for Microsoft Flight Simulator - First Look & Review!

It's been out for over 6 months now but I finally have my hands on the Maddog, and I took it up for a spin to review it for you all! Currently it is THE most expensive aircraft addon available for Microsoft Flight Simulator and as a lot of you know, I've resisted since release.
Over that period of time, it's received a couple of recent updates and I've had the opportunity to liaise with the development team to ask them a few questions about things raised by users in the community - namely, textures and sounds being "average". That said, I flew from FlyTampa's Copenhagen Kastrup (EKCH) up to Oslo Gardermoen (ENGM), and began to learn the quirks of the maddog whilst recording my thoughts for you all... I found myself very surprised.
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#msfs #fs2020 #flightsim #microsoftflightsimulator #flightsimulator #nextlevelracing #maddog #md80 #md82

[@acktu]

It’s great to see you fly this plane! Very few fly it on KZbin or twitch whether because of its shortcomings on sound and textures or much higher difficulty to fly it. I understand. It can be a very unforgiving plane to fly especially at slow speeds on final. Keep at it and we can learn from each other. 🙂

[@BritishAvgeek]

Thanks! Lots to learn, I'm still not a fan of the high price tag but the more I learn it and understand it, I may change my mind

[@yams900]

I bought MD82 just recently, had it for a week maybe. Just like you, resisted for a long time, because of things I’ve heard about it. Reminds me of learning CRJ, it will take a few months to learn really well, but that’s the beauty :)

[@BritishAvgeek]

Absolutely! It's steep on price though and lacking with textures but all round was a good fun hour long flight - and there is plenty to learn too!

[@maltimoto]

Excellent plane. Bought it today and it is really Study Level, as it is called nowadays. Super fun 90s plane with digital and analog instruments. Sound could be a little better but will find a soundpack somewhere.

[@matsadona]

Watching a MD-80 with SAS livery at this time of year, I can't help myself thinking about the SAS flight 751 incident. A remarkable crash with all passengers surviving even though the fuselage was broken in multiple parts. I have always loved the MD-80 and had some great fun in FSX. I find this addon a little too pricy to take the plunge yet. Perhaps I'll put it on the x-mas wish list :)

[@ZatoFliesYT]

As someone who also had the P3D version. The aircraft isnt that bad. For what its worth however we could have gotten better textures and sounds that are not just copied from P3D but overall. Its a good plane to fly!

[@Consequator]

What I always miss in the 'professional' planes is immersion sounds like the boarding sounds / cabin crew that Fly by Wire does. It's such a little thing but IMO it adds so much to the experience. It's one of the main reasons I will fly the FBW A320n more than the Fenix 320 even though they're just about the same plane.

[@BritishAvgeek]

True that's a really nice immersive touch they've added! FBW is epic for a free aircraft :)

[@Beinon007]

I know it gets said a lot but I can't believe the FBW is free, it's just nuts. They update it constantly and keep adding to the systems. It's just mental and I can't believe how lucky we all are.

[@thijssterrenburg4445]

there are several addons that you can use for announcements,self loading cargo is a very good one, you can find actual airline accouncements on the internet for selfloadingcargo.

[@yams900]

Finally ! I’ve been waiting for MD82 review from you, it’s a great aircraft 💕 it

[@BritishAvgeek]

Great to hear! It's taken a while and I've resisted but wish I dived straight in now

[@yams900]

@@BritishAvgeek Just like me :) Never too late start learning. Only regret, bought the Electra 10, should have saved money and get MD82 straight away. I probably end up buying Fokker F28 also, ha, ha ! Previews released but I couldn’t wait any longer, got MD82 while waiting

[@lukeemmo02]

My mate loves it and keeps trying to convince me to buy. I'd love to fly but at $112 Australian dollars and with the few issues like sound and some textures I'm not sure after the quality of the 146 and the 738 that I can justify that amount of money.

[@BritishAvgeek]

It's a steep price for sure - but I'll be monitoring the updates and hoping to see their commitments to texture improvements come in the near future

[@itheseacow7590]

Yep we get stuffed by regional pricing. I won't buy a plane unless it's very good or very cheap because of the conversion rates.

[@FsdocVR]

Its not ideal as should be default with the addon, but someone uploaded higher resolution vc cockpit textures to flightsim to and they look really nice

[@itheseacow7590]

@@FsdocVR yeah well that's the thing with no regional pricing the add-on costs almost $120. For something that pricey there should not have to be mods to make it look better.

[@KoVLiberty]

Great to see you fly it. There is a sound pack from FTSIM+ that makes the engines actually sound alright. It's by no means perfect but it does have that buzzsaw effect you want out of a JT8D. The soundpack made me fly this again and not stop flying it.

[@BritishAvgeek]

I really hate the idea of paying for a sound pack when it's already a product priced at nearly £100!

[@KoVLiberty]

@@BritishAvgeek agreed. Hopefully the developer fixes it in that regard. It's the worst thing about the plane IMO. Just no excuse for it these days.

[@rangerrick8220]

Noticed alot of MD-82s on VATSIM last night... now I know why!

[@BritishAvgeek]

I've got a ton of learning to do! Still the price is a sticking point for me as it could be a bit lower to be more akin to the "newer" MSFS pricing structures others have adopted (sell for less, sell more and so on)

[@mikebakkeyt]

It sounds a bit small-minded to say it but yes, the price is a barrier. It's a shame because it looks really fun but now the market is expanding at a hectic rate and as a freighter jock primarily I "need" the Aerosoft A330 and the PMDG 777/747 so when I look at the annual DLC budget it starts to get a little scary 🙂 Also - I find that hopping from technology to technology is getting more difficult for me. What I mean by that is that having spent the majority of time recently switching from 738 to Fenix 320 and the A310 it's not too bad. But today I did a BAE146 sector and my muscle memory for that plane was shot to pieces - I used to fly that day after day and it was like old slippers. The MD82 is like a CRJ on steroids and I know whenever I fly just the CRJ9 after a long break it's a toss up whether I have a drama or a crisis because I've missed things that used to be "automatic". I guess that's why pilots don't type hop and I for one am very grateful they don't! For now, for me, it's a no but I'll be watching for adjustments either to the price or the package and I will probably weaken at some point...

[@BritishAvgeek]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Really great points mentioned and an increasingly limited budget for most requires us to spend carefully on what we really want. All the aircraft you've mentioned are also fantastic too and all very different 🙂

[@yams900]

MD88 flies really well ! Flew EFHK 🇫🇮 to ESSA 🇸🇪 it felt different (better) it climbed much faster. Check rudder config and adjust if needed, I’ll change mine tomorrow. My rudders hardly moved, check reverse thrust as well, I didn’t get any. It’s not really needed :) I’ll test MD83 tomorrow. Take care my friend!

[@BritishAvgeek]

Hi Ronnie! Had a bit of fun yesterday in an MD-88 livestream, accidentally killed an engine in-flight too but managed to get it fired up once again to continue!

[@yams900]

@@BritishAvgeek Oh no ! I must test the same thing. Sooner or later an engine will die.

[@Michael-zf1ko]

Nice to see you throw in your hat! I've been fence-sitting on getting this plane, and I'm still not sure. The uniqueness and depth are pretty great, but alas, the sounds and price are pretty bad by today's standards. Not capturing the massively bassy and boomy engine noise is a missed opportunity. I think what it comes down to is that there are so many good aircraft and I have limited time to fly all of them. I already have Fenix, PMDG, CRJ, and the Just Flight 146. On top of that, we have the excellent default A310, and the huge Longitude, CJ4, and TBM upgrades on the way. It's actually pretty nuts how Asobo is making default aircraft just as viable as payware aircraft.

[@airportsmanchester]

I've bought this aircraft twice. And i will never buy it again . For customer's who have paid full price twice . And still not get any discount in my opinion is a disgrace. It looks to me like a port over

[@onewez13]

Good detailed walkthrough cheers. I like the idea of this aircraft fits with my kind of flying. Looks to have more complexity than the CRJ. Their biggest barrier is was and will continue to be the price of this. You can pick up a PMDG737-600 for less than £35 and they have PMDG history backing them. Textures on the PFD look Basic at best on the video. I’m not sure the systems depth in itself is enough to warrant the price tag.

[@cavok1984]

I had the Maddog on FS9 back in the day. I absolutely loved it then and all the videos I've seen on this version I still have the same sentiment, even though I don't yet have it here. Unfortunately the pricing for now is a little out of my affordable range (in the wife's view! Haha). I do love the look and system depth that the developer has gone into with this aircraft. I personally am a big fan of the old tin just as the designers were moving from analogue to digital systems. I may wait for a little while when it may go on sale though to grab the Maddog.

[@707liner8]

Great video - lots to learn on these older jets but therein lies the challenge!

[@BritishAvgeek]

Absolutely!

[@iggyiggz1999]

It's a good addon for sure, but it is overpriced. The Fenix and PMDG are both cheaper while being of better or similar quality.

[@BritishAvgeek]

Absolutely - and I'd be inclined to say they would sell more at a lower price too (plus it'd be more forgivable for the texture resolution being low in areas etc)

[@yamahaguy1732]

So one thing about the MD80 is that up front in first class and the cockpit it’s a very very quiet ride. Meanwhile our back you get to hear the nice hum of the engines. So it being quiet in the cockpit is realistic.

[@BritishAvgeek]

Absolutely but head to the back and sadly it's just as quiet

[@transair27]

I read with interest the comments re engine noise in the cockpit. But the DC9-30 was much shorter and even in that a/c, the engine noises quite indiscernable in the cockpit. Not surprising that this stretched version is even quieter. All tail mounted engine a/c share this. So I don't think it is badly done by the developer. Nowadays jet aircraft have wing mounted high bi-pass engines that can certainly be heard up front!

[@BritishAvgeek]

Problem is when you move the camera into the cabin and down to the back - the noise remains just as quiet all the way

[@transair27]

@@BritishAvgeek yes...that's not right. I remember the last seat in the DC9, (slightly BEHIND the engine nacelle!!) was quite loud and if the engines were out of synch, endured a lot of vibration.....!!

[@BritishAvgeek]

@@transair27 I bet that wasn't too comfortable pre-noise cancelling headphones! 🤣

[@Ehawk_]

Love the look of this plane. Nice to see a variation in the MSFS library. Not one for me I don't think but something I would like to see which is a bit similar would be a 717 would be a nice little Boeing for shorter flights in Australia and the US would be fun.

[@BritishAvgeek]

A 717 would be great to see too!

[@Dan-ve4ke]

This airplane is actually really good. I own all the PMDG 73’s and the Fenix A320…but this one is old school flying. If you get the sound pack add on it’s really awesome. It takes a minute to learn which comes with moments of frustration until you master it, and then it’s awesome. I fly it a lot and enjoy the challenge of a less automated airliner that does a good job of replicating the real airplane. I think it’s a 👍 and look forward to the improvements they are bringing to the product line in the future.

[@BritishAvgeek]

Great to hear you enjoy it! Personally I don't think anyone should have to pay £90 then also pay more for a sound pack add-on just to make it sound better - that should be included in the product but as you and I have said too, the improvements for the near future are exciting

[@Dan-ve4ke]

@@BritishAvgeek I agree it’s pricey, and the sound pack is free if you are a member of Patreon.

[@yams900]

Hello ! Hope all good my friend. I upgraded MD82 software and bought the expansion pack, now I have MD83 and MD88 as well 🙂 25 Euros, not too bad

[@BritishAvgeek]

it's a little steep for small changes!

[@yams900]

@@BritishAvgeek I know, but I’m a hard core fan, so the cost is irrelevant :)

[@XCougar85X]

Thank you for another nice video. For me, the MD-82 is such an iconic looking jet. I have flown it a bit at a mate and the cockpit atmosphere atleast visually is really nice. But as you say the ground handling is a bit weird. Problem for me though is that inc VAt the plane is around 100 euros and that just isn't going to happen. Specially after PMDG decided to give us the 736 which imo objectively is better all around, and even the Fenix and 146 as a whole package are better and cost far less.

[@simulacrae]

STABILISER MOTION!

[@Alex-ms5qp]

I love you I've seen an MD80 before

[@seanomatopoeia]

For the price of Fenix, I would definitely buy. But no way as it stands.

[@BritishAvgeek]

Yeah I think the PMDG/Fenix pricing level would be a great level for this!

[@st3pn56]

It feels to sluggish for me like I'm flying a plane with the aerodynamics of a brick. Maybe I'm just too spoiled by A320 fly by wire

[@RandomVideoEditors]

Hype

[@rayhughes]

Did have it in FSX and Prepv3.5 Not paying for it again as I consider it overpriced. Not to slate the Developer as they are always updating and modifying it -but i really think a much lower price point or an upgrade discount would have been welcome.

[@shutts9470]

I don't think anyone was saying it wasn't a great aircraft with in-depth systems etc etc, it looks like a really solid product.. my problem is the cost, they are having a laugh at the consumer's expense. Fenix.. PMDG 737s, JF 146 - all cost considerably less and have system depth to match and better visuals and sound to boot. Just my opinion.. but value for money compared to competitor aircraft should surely be part of any review.

[@BritishAvgeek]

Plenty have said the textures and sounds need a lot of work but yes, the price is also really high. Everyone's budget is also different

[@shutts9470]

@@BritishAvgeek Thanks for the reply! Keep up the good work and content 👍

[@Th3Globetrotters]

looks amazing thou...old style piloting...no glass cockpit at all

[@Bottur27]

How can you run the game that smoothly with a 2070super? I have a rtx 370 and can barely stay in 25/35 fps. If you could do a video explaning how would be sick

[@BritishAvgeek]

Hi! What settings and addons do you have in use?

[@hot00head00red]

Is this for xbox because I don’t see the md80 madog in the steam version

[@BritishAvgeek]

No PC only

[@hot00head00red]

@@BritishAvgeek that’s what I meant, i have a PC and its not on steam which is a PC platform, i hate consoles, PC gamer only, how much did you pay for it

[@masso392]

There is a cockpit texture mod and an ftsim sound pack :)

[@Ashleigh_T]

Sure there is. But for €90, I would expect not to require any third party mods tbh.

[@masso392]

@@Ashleigh_T True ig, but the plane is incredible besides that and even then the sounds default are quite realistic

[@boozerbrandy]

@@masso392 the default sounds are absolutely horrendous. Even moving back to the seat next to the engines the interior sound is almost non existent. The systems etc are great but after buying this upon release it’s overpriced for what it offers. The textures are straight ports.

[@BritishAvgeek]

Issue I have there is as thesimulator3000 has said (and in hindsight I should have thought of this and mentioned it in the video) is that you are already paying a shed load of money buying the aircraft - you should never have to then download a texture mod and pay for a sound pack to bring it up to MSFS standard

[@masso392]

@@BritishAvgeek Yeah that's fair enough

[@chrisleblanc6993]

For the steep price, having such a sub-par sound set is unacceptable. The massive sounds from the JT8Ds are one of the most unique parts of this aircraft. There is zero immersion in this aircraft from the sound perspective. Not considering buying until this is addressed.

[@andy_finlay86]

It’s a lot of money compared with the fenix and pmdg

[@BritishAvgeek]

Absolutely - you can almost get 2 aircraft there for the price of one!

[@owenklein1917]

Is this aircraft harder to learn than the 737?

[@BritishAvgeek]

Absolutely - it's probably twice as tough, but very enjoyable

[@owenklein1917]

@@BritishAvgeek lol I’m very tempted to buy it. The only thing holding me back is the difficulty. Seems like any older aircraft that isn’t airbus is hard to learn lol

[@BritishAvgeek]

@@owenklein1917 anything other than Airbus requires a lot of learning - but that makes stuff like Boeing and even the MD-82 perfect for simming

[@pilotpawanc]

Not for me at this price point atleast. . .

[@BritishAvgeek]

It's extremely expensive! The biggest drawback really - 1x PMDG 737-800 and 1x JustFlight 146 for the same price

[@mps_gaming1898]

I think its very over priced EUR 93.75 at that state is now, maybe around 35 hade be ok I think like the pmdg 737-600 is maybe if they add all models md 81,82,83,87,88 and 90 better sound and texture at cockpit its worth the full price

[@BritishAvgeek]

It's very expensive - that's absolutely the biggest draw back (especially with cost of living these days and what is an already-expensive hobby)

[@DanielGarcia-mw8zg]

How are people not upset at the crappy sounds?

[@BritishAvgeek]

We mentioned in the video (and in yesterday's live stream infact) that the sounds need work & that for the price imo is unacceptable. I also mentioned in this video that I reached out and directly asked Leonardo Software House about it - and spoke about their response too stating they are looking to improve it in future updates as they know it needs to be better in MSFS.

[@DanielGarcia-mw8zg]

@@BritishAvgeek Brilliant

[@deanc.5984]

TOO EXPENSIVE! This should be a standard plane. msfs2020 has to many of the same variant of new planes, but they know we all love the classics...B727, DC9, MD80, L1011, T38, F4 Phantom.

[@BritishAvgeek]

It's incredibly expensive and unfortunately therefore a barrier for most. The new MD-88 Expansion at €30 is expensive for what it is too

[@rl68rl68]

I do like alot of your vids but it seems that you don't like to spend your own money on alot of the aircraft and apps. Like you say it's been out for 7 months yet only when you get a free copy do you do a flight on it. You can only be 100 % honest if you pay for a product.

[@andy_finlay86]

You didn’t see the MD11 review from the live video did you 😂

[@lukeemmo02]

Yeh luke is always very honest with reviews. He has saved me a lot of money and the 2 aircraft he's loved and recommended I've also really enjoyed being the 146 and the 738. Wouldn't trust any other reviewer.

[@BritishAvgeek]

@@andy_finlay86 that was bad! 🤣

[@BritishAvgeek]

Always work to be honest. If you've followed some recent streams and earlier ones on its release my big criticism (even in this video) is the price. It's really high... I've also got a limited budget having just moved home so had to spend carefully over the last year. Just because it's free doesn't mean it's good and I'll say what I think always - good or bad, because that is what's important 🙂

[@airportsmanchester]

Great comment Great comment

[@ZiggyAir]

Too expensive, no thanks. The CRJ 700 is awesome and way cheaper.

[@BritishAvgeek]

The Aerosoft CRJ is an excellent aircraft! Was a firm favourite of mine for many months after release too, and still love it to this day!

[@ZiggyAir]

@@BritishAvgeek very enjoyable. and not very forgiving. You have to stay on top of it.

[@ir655]

Why is the AoA so high at 160kts and flaps 40? Seems off.

[@BritishAvgeek]

It's possibly pilot error, speed management or something like that but it's also got wings situated further back so it's AoA will look a bit higher than you'd expect I imagine. Either way I'll look into it :)

[@ir655]

@British Avgeek i could be wrong, I mean if it was close to MLW or MTOW it makes sense maybe, but light fuel load and payload it just looked wrong 😅

[@quietpassenger8]

@@ir655 Agreed it seems off. Having the same issue with mine the plane seems to want to fall out of the sky under 170kts even when the planes barely loaded. Only started after this latest update