Good FSX Teachings?

Skybird · 12-21-12, 10:07 AM

One thing, I wanted to add that earlier and then forgot it: you said you want to do continental flights and international flight. Well, reconsider that. Doing that in an airliner, already is boring. Doing that in a simulation is even more boring, because once you are on travel altitude of let's say FL410, you just watch out of the simulated window, gaze at the simulated always same sky, and the simulated blue down there that is the simulated sea. And that you do for hours and hours.

That is entertaining not!

Better plan short hops between airports, even with heavy iron. I flew - very unrealistically!

- 747s from Hamburg to Cologne, or 767s from Innsbruck to Stuttgart. I plan trips between my addon airports exclusively, and in such a way that between reaching top of climb and beginning of descent there is, if possible, not more than 20 minutes time. That way I always have something to do, with no boring time . The moment I reached travel altitude, I almost start to think about the descent again. I try to fly SIDs and STARs according to my charts, and do a solid flight planning and fuel calculation. But I must not fly the distances specific models would be used for in reality, so why not using a 747 as a local commuter, instead of staring 8 hours at the Atlantic.

I do not know how it is with the default planes, but for complex addons there is a strong recommendation that the time acceleration should not be used - it can seriously mess up your flightplan routing and the FMC. I always run at 1x time, I never use acceleration. NEVER.

CCIP · 12-21-12, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

That is entertaining not!

It really depends on what floats your boat though! I know a lot of people who do like that - although they typically spend that 8 cruising hours doing something else (doing work on another computer, watching a movie, cleaning their backyard, or even sleeping).

You can always join a virtual airline (as I did), which definitely gives a bit more context and purpose to even long flights.

That said, I prefer flying shorter regional flights myself. They are a lot more fun and have a much more intense workload, hour for hour. I do know quite a few people at my VA that practically live for those long-range flights though.

Skybird · 12-21-12, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCIP

It really depends on what floats your boat though! I know a lot of people who do like that - although they typically spend that 8 cruising hours doing something else (doing work on another computer, watching a movie, cleaning their backyard, or even sleeping).

Let them do that with activated chance for randomised system failure, even if set to only small chances.

CCIP · 12-21-12, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

Let them do that with activated chance for randomised system failure, even if set to only small chances.

Haha, yeah. I do that with fspassengers actually, set to 1% failure chance per flight. It actually makes things a lot more interesting, but as in real life, something happening during cruise... miniscule chance. Most failures happen during departure or landing. The worst I've had out of the 500 or so hours of flying this year was a fuel leak, and it didn't even affect my flight plan since I had enough reserves.

Besides, the far bigger threat on long flights is your FS crashing to desktop

Takeda Shingen · 12-21-12, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCIP

You can always join a virtual airline (as I did), which definitely gives a bit more context and purpose to even long flights.

I was entertaining the notion of doing the same thing. What has your experience been? How often do you have to fly? What are the perameters? How is the community? (Obviously you like the community, as you are still a member, but you know what I mean)

CCIP · 12-21-12, 04:53 PM

It's been really good! It varies from airline to airline obviously, and I've only been a member of one, but it's been a great experience all around. The only mandatory requirement is flying at least once per month, and the booking system for flights is very flexible (at least once you have enough of a rank to have access to all the equipment and routes). The community is good - I wish it were a little more active sometimes, but there's enough to keep me occupied. There's quite an age spread and even simming style spread between people, but there's always people who are similar enough in interests to interact with.

In my VA the main parameters are that you file your flights (with one of a couple of methods) to prove you followed realistic procedure, including routes and performance. All reports filed are reviewed by actual human staff and approved/rejected. There's some pretty clear-cut rules for rejections, but they're not too harsh. The main tracking method is the VA's own ACARS app, which is basically a chat + flight tracker. It actually gives some really nice feedback.

I know some VAs are more strict and demanding, but most are not. There's a lot of fairly casual flyers in mine, but all in all there's a really nice professional sort of atmosphere to it. There's also a lot of flexibility for difficulty - and even I sometimes fly really complex payware planes, and sometimes just slightly spruced-up freeware with basic systems. Some people only fly on VATSIM (and bug others to join them constantly), others don't even use the default FS ATC and just fly silent (I mostly fly offline with RadarContact). The only goal is that your final flight log proves that your flight went mostly like the real thing.

It's definitely done two things to my virtual flying - first it made me fly a lot more than I used to, and secondly it significantly improved a bunch of my flying skills and knowledge thanks to advice that I got there. It's not a good place to get basic tutorials on IFR flying by any means, but once you're at a certain level, I think being in a VA is probably the best way to improve your flying.

12-22-12, 01:58 AM

Okay, I believe I really made that too broad of a question. What I meant for was the basics. Like using trim, flaps etc, communicating with ATC and GTC, proper procedure for flights, using the flight planner, and the use of the nav system in the glass cockpit and so on.

I want to learn the basics as indepth as I can for now, I will learn about the plane characteristics at a later date. For now, baby steps. I can do little puddle jumps, and Ive MADE a flight plan before, but I dont know how to use it (I was flying a Mooney Bravo of course)

But before all of that, any general tips are well appreciated

Skybird · 12-22-12, 07:18 AM

Casey, you have all that stuff in the tutorials and lessons of the FSX "Ausbildungszentrum", don'T know how they call it in the English version. All the theory you ask for: all instruments explained. Flaps, Flight phases and how to run them and and what to do then. Navigation. GPS. IFR instruments, glass cockpits. I just have checked it, it is all there, with pictures and explanations.

That is much better than walls of text written by me and others, without graphics and pictures.

Check that "training centre", as it may be called in the english version. It's all there.

My point earlier was just this:; if you want to go indepth with a plane, don'T waste time with the FSX toys, their system depth is - almost non-existent. Pick one addon plane and then use that for a solid time to come, and get into it, in detail, that is more rewarding. Go with something of small or medium size first, and in half a year or so, when you got the experience, still have the interest and may have the money, get an airliner.

The Cheyenne can be ordered with 20% lower price currently. I have yesterday placed my order for the FSX version of it myself, I miss it from my FS9 times. Until 25th or 26th.

http://en.shop.aerosoft.com/eshop.ph...design=DEFAULT

But see if Aeroshop runs an American shop as well, I think they do, at least did.

Really, if you want to dive into things with FSX, then do it right

: get one first addon plane small to medium size and start with that. And much later, when it is opportune for you, get one heavy bird. There are good reasons why people are willing to pay money on such addons and ignore the default planes.

They just don't compare. When it comes to autopilots and airliner FMS (flight management systems) at the latest - there is where a wide, wide abyss opens between the default planes and a quality addon. You'd be surprised how far a quality addon can move beyond what you believed you knew after having done the default equivalent only.

Hope I do not sound too missionizing. I'd prefer the term "enthusiasm".

01-05-13, 06:05 AM

Alright, I figured instead of adding another thread Id just post this here.

So, Skybird, Ive read and read and read then flown and crashed then read some more and did all of the tutorials and I have to say with confidence I got it. I am now able to pilot prop and or Jets with a slight ease. I finally figured out how to use the flight nav and GPS and have flown some small commercial flights from my home town to IND (20 mins away)

Questions arise now, first problem Ive had is that I was doing a flight from Cleveland to Chicago in a 737 and when I was almost to Chicago my game crashed saying not enough virtual memory? I have the same settings as you and even tested them in LAX to make sure they wouldnt slow me too much and nothing. And then when Im almost to Ohare Int'l (Litterally on my runway approach) it crashes. I shouldnt be having this problem with 16GB of ram should I??

Next, when youre coming in for a landing and talking to ATC and they direct you to land on the Active Runway (Say runway 6R Right) how do you know which runway is the active one? Same thing when youre taxing to the runway, how do can you tell which runway to go to? (I want to try to not use progressive taxi to keep the imerssion factor there)

The other problem I have is my problem with overspeeds. Ive looked through the indexes and cant see a thing about what to do to correct it (I slow down and pull the nose up and extend flaps and sometimes it works) but for say Jetliners, what are some key things to keep in mind so Im not overspeeding??

Also where can I get some other skins so I can actually fly real airlines? (Southwest, American, Delta) annnnd does anyone play online want to fly sometime?

Oh and last but not least, when doing an Insturment Landing in bad weather (Say heavy fog and bad visibility) is there a way to know the altitude the runway is at ? (You can see the feathers for the runway on the nav glass and the lights can be visible but I have not figured out how to know what altitude the runway is at so I dont slam into it... although this is all on the understanding that it actualyl IS possible to land in 0 visibility? But I assumed it is possible with the glass cockpit ILS.

Seriously though, thank you for all of your patience in answering my previous questions. I finally got time to sit down and just focus on it and am so happy I got to learn how to finally fly with Instrument navigation. I think sometime this weekend, Im going to try a flight from Chicago to LAX if I can

Oh and anyother tips would be awesome, I figured out Autopilot can bite me in the ass. I set it to ascend to my cruise altitude and it stalled me in a 747 with such a spin that I slammed into the ground before I could correct it -_-

Cheers,

Casey

12-21-12, 10:07 AM	#1
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,652 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	One thing, I wanted to add that earlier and then forgot it: you said you want to do continental flights and international flight. Well, reconsider that. Doing that in an airliner, already is boring. Doing that in a simulation is even more boring, because once you are on travel altitude of let's say FL410, you just watch out of the simulated window, gaze at the simulated always same sky, and the simulated blue down there that is the simulated sea. And that you do for hours and hours. That is entertaining not! Better plan short hops between airports, even with heavy iron. I flew - very unrealistically! - 747s from Hamburg to Cologne, or 767s from Innsbruck to Stuttgart. I plan trips between my addon airports exclusively, and in such a way that between reaching top of climb and beginning of descent there is, if possible, not more than 20 minutes time. That way I always have something to do, with no boring time . The moment I reached travel altitude, I almost start to think about the descent again. I try to fly SIDs and STARs according to my charts, and do a solid flight planning and fuel calculation. But I must not fly the distances specific models would be used for in reality, so why not using a 747 as a local commuter, instead of staring 8 hours at the Atlantic. I do not know how it is with the default planes, but for complex addons there is a strong recommendation that the time acceleration should not be used - it can seriously mess up your flightplan routing and the FMC. I always run at 1x time, I never use acceleration. NEVER. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

12-21-12, 04:53 PM	#6
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	It's been really good! It varies from airline to airline obviously, and I've only been a member of one, but it's been a great experience all around. The only mandatory requirement is flying at least once per month, and the booking system for flights is very flexible (at least once you have enough of a rank to have access to all the equipment and routes). The community is good - I wish it were a little more active sometimes, but there's enough to keep me occupied. There's quite an age spread and even simming style spread between people, but there's always people who are similar enough in interests to interact with. In my VA the main parameters are that you file your flights (with one of a couple of methods) to prove you followed realistic procedure, including routes and performance. All reports filed are reviewed by actual human staff and approved/rejected. There's some pretty clear-cut rules for rejections, but they're not too harsh. The main tracking method is the VA's own ACARS app, which is basically a chat + flight tracker. It actually gives some really nice feedback. I know some VAs are more strict and demanding, but most are not. There's a lot of fairly casual flyers in mine, but all in all there's a really nice professional sort of atmosphere to it. There's also a lot of flexibility for difficulty - and even I sometimes fly really complex payware planes, and sometimes just slightly spruced-up freeware with basic systems. Some people only fly on VATSIM (and bug others to join them constantly), others don't even use the default FS ATC and just fly silent (I mostly fly offline with RadarContact). The only goal is that your final flight log proves that your flight went mostly like the real thing. It's definitely done two things to my virtual flying - first it made me fly a lot more than I used to, and secondly it significantly improved a bunch of my flying skills and knowledge thanks to advice that I got there. It's not a good place to get basic tutorials on IFR flying by any means, but once you're at a certain level, I think being in a VA is probably the best way to improve your flying. __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)

12-22-12, 07:18 AM	#8
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,652 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Casey, you have all that stuff in the tutorials and lessons of the FSX "Ausbildungszentrum", don'T know how they call it in the English version. All the theory you ask for: all instruments explained. Flaps, Flight phases and how to run them and and what to do then. Navigation. GPS. IFR instruments, glass cockpits. I just have checked it, it is all there, with pictures and explanations. That is much better than walls of text written by me and others, without graphics and pictures. Check that "training centre", as it may be called in the english version. It's all there. My point earlier was just this:; if you want to go indepth with a plane, don'T waste time with the FSX toys, their system depth is - almost non-existent. Pick one addon plane and then use that for a solid time to come, and get into it, in detail, that is more rewarding. Go with something of small or medium size first, and in half a year or so, when you got the experience, still have the interest and may have the money, get an airliner. The Cheyenne can be ordered with 20% lower price currently. I have yesterday placed my order for the FSX version of it myself, I miss it from my FS9 times. Until 25th or 26th. http://en.shop.aerosoft.com/eshop.ph...design=DEFAULT But see if Aeroshop runs an American shop as well, I think they do, at least did. Really, if you want to dive into things with FSX, then do it right : get one first addon plane small to medium size and start with that. And much later, when it is opportune for you, get one heavy bird. There are good reasons why people are willing to pay money on such addons and ignore the default planes. They just don't compare. When it comes to autopilots and airliner FMS (flight management systems) at the latest - there is where a wide, wide abyss opens between the default planes and a quality addon. You'd be surprised how far a quality addon can move beyond what you believed you knew after having done the default equivalent only. Hope I do not sound too missionizing. I'd prefer the term "enthusiasm". __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

12-22-12, 01:58 AM	#7
reignofdeath Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Okay, I believe I really made that too broad of a question. What I meant for was the basics. Like using trim, flaps etc, communicating with ATC and GTC, proper procedure for flights, using the flight planner, and the use of the nav system in the glass cockpit and so on. I want to learn the basics as indepth as I can for now, I will learn about the plane characteristics at a later date. For now, baby steps. I can do little puddle jumps, and Ive MADE a flight plan before, but I dont know how to use it (I was flying a Mooney Bravo of course) But before all of that, any general tips are well appreciated

01-05-13, 06:05 AM	#9
reignofdeath Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Alright, I figured instead of adding another thread Id just post this here. So, Skybird, Ive read and read and read then flown and crashed then read some more and did all of the tutorials and I have to say with confidence I got it. I am now able to pilot prop and or Jets with a slight ease. I finally figured out how to use the flight nav and GPS and have flown some small commercial flights from my home town to IND (20 mins away) Questions arise now, first problem Ive had is that I was doing a flight from Cleveland to Chicago in a 737 and when I was almost to Chicago my game crashed saying not enough virtual memory? I have the same settings as you and even tested them in LAX to make sure they wouldnt slow me too much and nothing. And then when Im almost to Ohare Int'l (Litterally on my runway approach) it crashes. I shouldnt be having this problem with 16GB of ram should I?? Next, when youre coming in for a landing and talking to ATC and they direct you to land on the Active Runway (Say runway 6R Right) how do you know which runway is the active one? Same thing when youre taxing to the runway, how do can you tell which runway to go to? (I want to try to not use progressive taxi to keep the imerssion factor there) The other problem I have is my problem with overspeeds. Ive looked through the indexes and cant see a thing about what to do to correct it (I slow down and pull the nose up and extend flaps and sometimes it works) but for say Jetliners, what are some key things to keep in mind so Im not overspeeding?? Also where can I get some other skins so I can actually fly real airlines? (Southwest, American, Delta) annnnd does anyone play online want to fly sometime? Oh and last but not least, when doing an Insturment Landing in bad weather (Say heavy fog and bad visibility) is there a way to know the altitude the runway is at ? (You can see the feathers for the runway on the nav glass and the lights can be visible but I have not figured out how to know what altitude the runway is at so I dont slam into it... although this is all on the understanding that it actualyl IS possible to land in 0 visibility? But I assumed it is possible with the glass cockpit ILS. Seriously though, thank you for all of your patience in answering my previous questions. I finally got time to sit down and just focus on it and am so happy I got to learn how to finally fly with Instrument navigation. I think sometime this weekend, Im going to try a flight from Chicago to LAX if I can Oh and anyother tips would be awesome, I figured out Autopilot can bite me in the ass. I set it to ascend to my cruise altitude and it stalled me in a 747 with such a spin that I slammed into the ground before I could correct it -_- Cheers, Casey