The 'Official' Screenshot & Tips thread 4 FSX enthusiasts & flight simmers.

Thanks for the help with IFR routes, I've got plenty of websites now but I still haven't quite found the one I was looking for. It was a little stand-alone freeware program which only had UK airports in it, but it provided a full SID Waypoint STAR route for flying around the UK. I'm sure it was posted in this thread but I've skimmed through and can't find it, anyone have an idea?
 
Is it called simsd?

I've just rebuilt my pc so slowly adding everything back. Just loaded my ifly 737, tried it out and I can't see any of the landing gear, my plane is just floating above the rwy. :rolleyes::confused: not seen that before.

Oh yes Stevie, sorted Rex out, Blue and I went through a number of setting again and within my clouds settings I had not chosen any options, so it's looking real good now. Also went through that link you sent me and the plane looks much better. I will send you a pic and you tell me if it's any better.

Sorry I cut the flight short......didn't even take off. :p
 
Yes, SimSRD does the UK thing. Also the Vataware website can give you 'city pairs'

No worries V. I got from EGSS to EGGD. EGGD App, Twr and Gnd were all online. My landing was a bit floaty and I should have 'gone around', but shamefully didn't. Chadders kept me company on mumble whilst he set up his jetstream.

Please everyone who has FSX SP2, a VATSIM ID and a Gamespy a/c join us next week on Mumble for a flight. We can make it as easy or as difficult as you like.
 
deko said:
Thanks for the help with IFR routes, I've got plenty of websites now but I still haven't quite found the one I was looking for. It was a little stand-alone freeware program which only had UK airports in it, but it provided a full SID Waypoint STAR route for flying around the UK. I'm sure it was posted in this thread but I've skimmed through and can't find it, anyone have an idea?
Click to expand...

If you give us some route you'd like, together, I'm sure we (Chadders or EFB) can give the IFR routing..
 
SimSRD was exactly what I was looking for, thanks very much.

Bluetonic, thanks for the offer, I might take you up on it once I'm bored of UK flights :)
 
When you've took off, and you're in the air and you've got the autopilot set, what do you people DO?

My fsx sessions only last 30 minutes because as soon as I've taken off I'm at a loss as what I should be doing and just maneuveure to land again.
 
Eames said:
When you've took off, and you're in the air and you've got the autopilot set, what do you people DO?

My fsx sessions only last 30 minutes because as soon as I've taken off I'm at a loss as what I should be doing and just maneuveure to land again.
Click to expand...

Haha yea Ive been there :D

It depends on what kinda simmer you are. The hardcore players will usually be in the realistic tubeliner addons like PMDG 737 where they follow real-world procedures as much as they can. The plane will follow real-world IFR airways and do real ILS approaches etc. So while AP is on they will calculate fuel-burn & enter it on a table (this is done in real life to cross-check with the computers), monitor weather at destination, troubleshoot faults etc.

The middlecore simmers will chuck on the autopilot and let it follow the FSX GPS.

The funcore simmer wont last long on autopilot because its boring - why let the dang computer fly the plane?? This simmer is best off in a light fighter jet (lots of simple freeware out there) or a light prop plane.

The most fun in the sim is the approach and landing so its fun to do hopper-flights from one airport to another. In the real world this is how they fly in places like Alaska to drop of fuel, oil, food & mail to remote communities. Personally I find the tubeliners really boring to fly. They are impressive machines but I like being down low to see the scenery. You cant see all that FTX goodness you got from FL420 :D (except on climb-approach-landing).
 
I'm middlecore going by your description but I'd like to become hardcore, just don't know how to go about learning real world procedures. What you've talked about there basically has me dumbfounded, although I have read the terms IFR and ILS before.
 
Eames said:
I'm middlecore going by your description but I'd like to become hardcore, just don't know how to go about learning real world procedures. What you've talked about there basically has me dumbfounded, although I have read the terms IFR and ILS before.
Click to expand...

You have to take it in small steps or you will be utterly & completely overwhelmed beause the hardcore simulations out there really are hard 2 the core!

An example: starting up the 737 (PMDG)

I suggest you do the tutorials in FSX to get a basic grounding.

The path you should follow is:

Light planes (like Cessna 172)---->Light twin (Like Baron)------>Turbine twin (King Air)-------> Light jet (Learjet, Citation etc)------>airliner (737, A319)------>Heavy (747, A330, 777 etc)

At about the light jet stage you will have to start spending money and buying realistic payware addons if you want to go down the route of hardcore simming. Of course you can get payware right from the start if you want! Your choice :)

Flying jets is a TOTALLY different way of flying compared to a light propeller plane. You fly jets really precisely "by the numbers" and you have to get used to stuff like engine lag-time (a 777 does not have instant-power response like a small Cessna!) the huge engines take a while to spin up.

As the planes get faster you have to think faster to stay ahead of the plane.

As for what you didnt understand in my reply:

IFR = Instrument flight rules (you navigate solely by instruments - even on crystal clear sunny days). You follow airways (think of them as invisible roads in the sky)

ILS = a precise radio beam thats sent out from a runway. Its an electronic "slope" leading to the runway that lets you follow it down to a safe landing...even in rubbish weather.

But this is jumping ahead - first you need to get basic grounding in navigation, fight control and all that sort of thing. Computers do a lot of the work these days but good to have mental understanding as well. For example if you are at 12,000ft feet when to begin your descent to an airport thats 35nm away and whose elevation is 2,200ft....that sort of thing. On the tubeliners (like 777) all this is done by the flight computers and u will see the top of descent marker on the screen. But good to manually crunch the numbers as well.

But yea begin by doing the tutorials! :D
 
Last edited:
You'll get so much more out of FSX or any sim if you take it slowly and enjoy the learning process. By all means buy the new shiney 737 but don't spend all your time twiddling the knobs on the MCP. I enjoy my sim the most when I'm in a small single or light twin at low level nicely trimmed out with no thought of the autopilot.

Take it slowly, get some nice VFR scenery to enjoy and master the default 172 and Barron. Then treat yourself to the Realair sims SF260, lancair or if you want a twin their Duke. Don't rush at getting a high end airliner, you'll waste your time worrying about what a pack is or how you program your FMC.

Remember if you want to learn there are plenty of guys on here and various other forums that can help. Just make some of the effort yourself, you'll enjoy it far more.
 
I should be online this week; Mon and Tues, possibly Thurs.

For those that don't know what the score is with VFR flying, I'm can show you the ropes.

You'll need to:

Have FSX with SP2
Install the excellent Plan-G
Have a gamespy a/c or Vatsim a/c or both
Have the mumble client installed.

The lesson can revolve on using Plan-G to plan a flight and Circuit practice.

Failing that, it'll be back to the Lancair, ATR or 737NG on VATSIM..
 
I'll echo what blue says. I'm happy to help anyone find their feet in the sim. I'll not be near my pc until Thursday though but if you need a hand give me a shout.
 
I decided to fly my ifly 737 last night as I’ve not flown that for ages. I do what I do every time I fly it and for some reason my left engine will not start now :mad:(rebuilt my pc on Friday and reinstalled everything)
Looked on the ifly forums and can’t find anything regarding "only one engine starting" Gone through everything, all my checks and this bloody engine will not start! Unless I’m really just skipping over something important. :confused:

I was on Vatsim too, so got all my clearance from ATC, did my pushback, started up the right engine then left and then nothing.......grrrrrr!!

Thanks for links picnic, will take a look at that this week.

Tonight -not sure maybe for a quick hour or so.
Tue –around
Wed – on but late
Thur – around
 
Hey V,

There's no stopping you now on Vatsim. :D

Apart from only having one engine.. :o

Did you try to takeoff anyhow.?

Other things to check for:

1. Fuel
2. Check Power Voltage toggle switch to make sure it's reading all the right numbers
3. Ignition switch L or R
4. Engine switch was def. turned to GRD
5. Engine fuel idle switch
5. Pigeons nesting in the engine

Get it sorted, or you lose type rating on this plane.
 
chaders said:
Are you sure you had the packs off for the engine start? Did it turn over or did you get no N2 rotation at all?
Click to expand...

Yes 100% sure, it’s the first thing I do before I start the engines. No N2 rotation at all :mad:

chaders said:
Just like the real world then "er ground we need to pull back onto stand due a tech issue" ;-)
Click to expand...

Yip got hold of ATC and said I have engines troubles. I said to him I should be 10min or so while I try sort it. I hope he still not waiting for me :p


!bluetonic! said:
Hey V,

There's no stopping you now on Vatsim. :D

Apart from only having one engine.. :o

Did you try to takeoff anyhow.?

Other things to check for:

1. Fuel
2. Check Power Voltage toggle switch to make sure it's reading all the right numbers
3. Ignition switch L or R
4. Engine switch was def. turned to GRD
5. Engine fuel idle switch
5. Pigeons nesting in the engine

Get it sorted, or you lose type rating on this plane.
Click to expand...

Yes mate really enjoying it. But every time I try do a flight from start to finish I seem to get into issues. Cutting it short the other night with you guys and now this last night!(going to get fired from Fedex haha)

Nah didn’t take off.

Yes to all of the above, maybe number 5, damn birds. ;)

As mentioned, I rebuilt my pc and reinstalled everything from scratch. When I installed ifly I didn’t get any landing gear, turned out it was a licensing issues so had to download the wrapper again. I’m wondering if this is a licensing issue again?

If we get on tonight can we have a quick 15min going through start up please,(not "cold& dark" but "plane ready before engine start", which I choose anyway) just in case I am doing something wrong. :eek:
 
Vuvuzela said:
If we get on tonight can we have a quick 15min going through start up please,(not "cold& dark" but "plane ready before engine start", which I choose anyway) just in case I am doing something wrong. :eek:
Click to expand...

Yep, fine with me. I should be on mumble between 7.30pm - 8pm tonight.

There's a mint printable 737 NG checklist somewhere on the flight1 site or possibly in those links I gave you...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom