Any Flight Simmers ?

[J4CKO]

Have dabbled in the past but am useless, have recently got a new PC that will handle recent games so got FSX Steam Edition for £7.99 as couldnt find my disk from the last two goes.

Seems pretty good fun and keep going back to it, few questions though

What controllers do you use, I am using an old Sidewinder Joystick, works ok but the feedback comes on and off as you hold and release it, seems a bit clunky, also looking round the 3D cockpit to find controls can be frustrating, what combos do you use to control it effectively, I sort of know what I want to do but have crashed/stalled or whatever before I manage to zoom in, find the control, have it not work the first few presses etc.

Is FSX the best, XPlane 11 is due out, are there any others, FSX looks ok and does the job but seems a bit old fashioned, before I get to into it, is it worth changing to something else ?

How accurate is the Autopilot say on the 737 compared to the real thing, it doesnt simulate the Flight Management computer, would like to learn it properly.

Any other tips ?

Determined not to just do my usual of trying to loop 747s etc.

[J4CKO]

klmhcp said:

J4CKO said:

How accurate is the Autopilot say on the 737

Love that not only do flight sims have autopilots, but you're interested in their accuracy.

Well, its a "simulation", planes, and airliners I find fascinating, would be interesting to get an idea of how they are actually flown, they are fantastically complex machines.

[J4CKO]

Was trying to land a 747 in a monsoon last night, didnt go well, three times but its making me learn to crash in style and how bloody hard flying must be in those conditions, the whole situation awareness thing is probably worse without any gravity but can see how you can end up at odd angles with no point of reference.

My problem is currently knowing what to do but not being able to do it quickly enough, like the flap setting needing coaxing if you use the mouse, so learning the keyboard commands.

Watched a few videos, setting up the flight management computer etc.

Got another monitor so now have a 24 inch and 2 19's either side, got it spanned across but really would rather be able to put dials and stuff on there without them being at silly resolutions.

Think I will buy Xplane, FSX is ok but does look and feel ancient.

[J4CKO]

Noob question alert, just doing some of the training missions in FSX, took off from Las Vegas and just crashed a 737 into the Nevada desert, I set the Altimeter as 2995 as per the instructions but it reads 4660 ft despite being embedded in the floor ?

[J4CKO]

surveyor said:

Chuck328 said:

J4CKO said:

Noob question alert, just doing some of the training missions in FSX, took off from Las Vegas and just crashed a 737 into the Nevada desert, I set the Altimeter as 2995 as per the instructions but it reads 4660 ft despite being embedded in the floor ?

I've no idea how that flight sim works but what typed sounds like you have a pressure datum (2995) measured against sea level as opposed to ground level. Given LV will be higher than the sea level then you have a datum showing the sea which you descended to thinking it was safe when actually your altimeter was referenced to the ground... so you hit it.

Perhaps?

G15girl may well some along and explain better than me in my rather now drunken state. She is very good at the technical stuff...just roll over and play dead when she bites.

Vegas elevation is just over 2.000 feet so should not be that. There are mountains around the area though that could catch you out if you don't climb out.

Gueasijg you were off to Area 51

Yes, good fun, will take a close look today and do it until I get it right, video on YouTube if it had the same issue.

[J4CKO]

red_slr said:

I am not sure if FSX has this feature (think it might) but if you look at your altimeter tape on your PFD you should see the ground as a yellow line with //// below it. You should also see your alt setting below that.

Again I don't know if the FSX 737 has it but ground proximity (GPWS) should kick in with warnings plus if you click your radar screen onto "Terr" mode it should show the terrain. You should also hear "too low gear" plus other call outs like "twenty five hundred" etc etc.

All of which should have notified you that the ground was coming up. When on the glide you should be cross checking everything, so you are confirming the call outs are correct and expected.

http://www.arianedesign.com/Content.do?state=Three...

http://www.b737.org.uk/warningsystems.htm#Aural_Wa...

I am far from an expert and I am sure an actual pilot would be able to tell you the exact details - at least we can hit reset

HTH.

Yeah, it was telling me and I was thinking that it looks very low for 4000 odd feet then splat.

The Radio altimeter is there and seems to just work below 2500 which makes sense, need to read up on how they work in combination with stuff about transition altitudes and flight levels, it looks obvious, but in a lot of cases, it isn't.

Edited by J4CKO on Sunday 8th January 10:01

[J4CKO]

SpamCan said:

J4CKO said:

Noob question alert, just doing some of the training missions in FSX, took off from Las Vegas and just crashed a 737 into the Nevada desert, I set the Altimeter as 2995 as per the instructions but it reads 4660 ft despite being embedded in the floor ?

Its what we call the QNH over here, an altimeter pressure setting that gives you your altitude with reference to sea level. Las Vegas (McCarran Intl) is around 2100ft above sea level, there is a lot of mountainous terrain around that area too.

As I assume you don't have any aviation charts to hand that give you the minimum safe altitudes (clear of terrain and obstacles) plot routes on google earth using the path tool and get the terrain altitude from that. That should prevent further terrain related incidents

It tells you where to go and what to do, it's a basic training mission to deliver Area 51 staff to groom lake, I got too focussed on instruments and then thought that seems low and by the time I had reacted, the airplane was too slow and low to do much about it, will have a few more goes until I get it right.

It was a VFR flight, need to know how it would be done in low visibility, as that would rely on an accurate altitude, it wasn't a hill, it was just flat ground.

[J4CKO]

djc206 said:

What did your altimeter read on the ground before you took off? Sounds like a classic QNH/QFE error to me but I'm not a pilot.

Zero, and I set it to the 2995 mentioned by ATC.

Edit, oops, no, just tried it again and it shows 2100.

So there is my error.

Edited by J4CKO on Sunday 8th January 12:36

[J4CKO]

Not had chance this last few days but going to have a weekend of learning how to fly it properly and learn about the navigation side of things.

[J4CKO]

Just revisiting the simming thing, I kind of abandoned it previously as I didnt have the right gear and it was incredibly frustrating, I had a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback joystick which if you took your hand off flopped one way or another so it just drove me mad. I had a go on a full professional Sim (BAe 146) a couple of weeks back and I had been wanting to have another go so I just got ordering.

I bit the bullet and purchased Xplane 11 which is very good, but crashes fairly often, which feels a bit retro, also bought a fairly basic Saitek Yoke, not got the pedals but it makes a huge difference having the basics right.

Mainly learning how the AP and FMC works on a 737, I know I should start with a Cessna and I have tried it but seeing as its not real, may as well use a big one ! the whole thing seems to be based around managing the huge speed and weight.

So, how is everyone else doing with their simming and any pointers, I am watching a lot of videos and getting a lot out of that, main thing now is getting everything set up properly so I can concentrate on the sim and not the hardware, knowing where the buttons are etc.

[J4CKO]

I am interested in the VR aspect, just dont want to spend another £400 just yet, been an expensive month with a graduation etc, why would filling in the FMC be pointless in VR ?

[J4CKO]

red_slr said:

J4CKO said:

why would filling in the FMC be pointless in VR ?

You have to stare at the button you want to press then a little blue dot appears then you press your primary action button... then stare at the next..... etc etc. Keying in a long string of commands takes forever and that's not what VR is about. You can use the mouse but IME its also very hard to see what you are doing unless you move around and that's also not much fun, the SDE does play a part.

VR is about flying around in an F16 inverted through the grand canyon at 400kts

The main issue with VR and airliners is the number of switches and levers etc you need to pull and configure. Just changing heading or speed can be a PITA.

However hand flying is a lot of fun especially on simple aircraft.

Makes sense now you explain it !

DId a bit more tonight, managed my first ILS landing, only problem was I came in a bit fast, about 100 kts too fast as it happens but it followed the Glide Slope and Localizer perfectly, the plane (a 747 400 ) is now parked somewhere in Gatley (A suburb in South Manchester)