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

Just to mention just how realistic the new 737 NGX is. I couldn't get the TOGA mode to activate at all using the key combinations I was used to. I thought it was a key command problem but eventually I realised that the Flight Directors weren't enabled on both captain and FO side so it wouldn't let me engage. It really is unforgiving but so realistic!

I'm going through some of the introductory manuals now and PMDG has given some recommendations about how to best set up FSX. There are so many manuals to go through - its unbelievable!

I listened to a podcast the other night on fsbreak.com and the head of PMDG said that they have approximately 30,000 pages of documentation on the 737 for building this addon. Crazy stuff!
 
Something wonderful has arrived and its not made by PMDG, the latest scenery release by Earth Simulations, Guernsey/Sark & Herm, 3 of the islands which make up part of the Channel Islands in the UK near the French coast. I very rarely get excited or rave about any of the latest FSX addon releases but this is something special, something extraordinary. In my time I have used many excellent scenery addons, from the likes of Orbx/Megascenery X/Horizon VFR/AS Germany VFR/NL2000v4/Blue Sky Scenery etc. Many are excellent and do a really good job of depicting the area they cover but now something has arrived which takes scenery realism/detail and accuracy to a whole new level, Earth Simulation's Guernsey. Combining high resolution photoreal imaging, highly detailed water masking, complex mesh depicting shearing cliffs and sloping hills and hand made/hand placed custom made 3D autogen showing every structure, building, house, tree and bush! Not only that, the scenery comes in 5 different seasons (winter & hard winter) which shows off the amazing transformation of the landscape during each season.

After spending several hours flying and exploring this scenery I can say with full confidence that this scenery is the most realistic depiction of an area I have ever seen in FSX. In my humble opinion it is 'The Best' scenery to date for FSX, full stop. ES's Guernsey scenery is the equivalent of what PMDG's 737NGX means to all aircraft releases that have come before it, it is in a class of its own!

I have made a small compilation of shots to try and show you, the viewer, why I'm raving about this scenery. The shots will hopefully convey and confirm what I have been saying so far, even I feel that my screen shots do not do this amazing scenery justice! I hope in time I can fully explore and grasp this entire scenery and show you more & better shots in the future. But for now do please enjoy a small selection of shots taken from a batch which can be fully viewed HERE


Enjoy and as always, all shots are unedited apart from resized & JPG'd.

Guernsey with Herm (the smallest island) and Sark.
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Several views at lower altitude.
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Early dawn over Guernsey.
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Here you can see all 4 Channels Islands that are made by ES, Guernsey, Alderney (distant top left), Herm (small middle top) and Sark (top right).
The largest island, Jersey, will also be eventually covered by ES.
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Early morning approach to Guernsey airport.
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A view snaps of my heli flights from Guernsey airport.
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Castle Cornet, seen bottom left, is model with truly amazing detail. I didn't get a chance to get some closeup shots, but I will next time.
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And a few shots of the smaller island of Sark.
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I really do hope you enjoyed the view and one more thing, get this scenery... now!
(note: at the time of writing this post, ES took down their store on their website for some upgrades & changes, so give it a few days if you cannot purchases it now.)
 
Some more of the NGX. This thing is a beauty but there are so many new features and things that i have never seen in previous addons that I need to learn an awful lot of stuff!

I had a very quick play around with her and tried out the HUD. It looks very cool but it will take a bit of practice to use it properly. The aircraft flies absolutely beautifully by hand and I don't think I will be using much autopilot below 6000ft on SIDs.

Enjoy.


Lovely office.


You can call up different FMC pages on each side.


Amazing detail even on the circuit breaker panel.


On the approach using LNAV/VNAV modes.


Testing the HUD - pretty awesome but will take practice.
 
Some more of the NGX from a quick flight. Ignore the display units - nothing is set up properly!

O yes, I forgot to mention that there is around 2500 pages of manuals that shipped with this addon. She is detailed!

Amazing flightdeck - notice the fingerprints on the DUs!










You can see the seats in through the windows. All modelled internally. No textured windows on this machine.


From the F/O side.
 
You can see the seats in through the windows. All modelled internally. No textured windows on this machine.
Click to expand...

Do you see people in the seats if you load the plane up? I only really do GA but I'm not sure of one that populates the seats correctly if you load up people in the aircraft config.
 
I don't think you do. Could you imagine the performance hit if each passenger was modelled?

I'm trying to resist the buy it now button until next week lol.
 
But you do get the option to see the crew if you look from the external view :D

Not sure which one it was but I remember an addon aircraft (A Boeing if I'm right) and they had Captain Kirk and Spock flying the plane :D
 
Some more screens from today. These ones show off all the ground equipment options that you can control. You can open the doors, add air start, air cond unit and ground power, add pitot covers and chocks all from within the CDU. Even when you have no power you can still enable the menu for this by holding down the 'menu' button on the CDU. FMC functions are not available without power.

When nothing is powered up you can hear the generator noise from the ground units outside - it's very cool!

The ground equipment is personalised in the airline colours of the selected livery.







Notice the windows even show the serial numbers!








 
Excellent shots there Ringo! I'm currently enroute to Innsbruck so I should be able to get some nice shots of the Terrain Display on the ND. Although, I'm probably going to fail when it comes to the approach!
 
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Terrain display is pretty cool stuff. There is so much new on this a/c that hasn't been in any addons before. I'm contemplating a full FSX reinstall but don't know that I can be bothered.
 
LOWI is fun :D I got the 'option' of a go around from the Austrian VATSIM controller the other day and needless to say I declined and wished I had taken the advice ;) I reckon the bill for the airframe on the overshoot across the river would be significant and career defining! Too high and too fast on approach. Moral of the story? if its not spot on go around :D
 
I pretty much failed with my attempt(s) into LOWI. Firstly I came in way too fast and had to go around, except I did it too late and also hit the side of the mountain! Luckily managed to get back on track for another attempt but this time I forgot to disengage the autothrottle just before landing so I floated for quite a bit and only stopped just at then end of the runway :o

Couple of pics below,

One of the terrain display:
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And on of the HUD:
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You'll notice there's a bug as there are only 2 digits on the course and heading displays. I've submitted this to PMDG so hopefully it can be fixed. I have to say this is the only problem I've encountered, no buggy unfinished software here!
 
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As you've found out shes a slippery so and so :D Too be fair though remember they use 2 pilots in RL for a reason :D The work load for one pilot, Sim or not is very high. their's a nice vid from a real pilot of the 737 NG in the PMDG section at avsim showing how he slows it down etc. It takes a fair while to slow :D

Oh and as for not making the approach too well you have to get a specific certification in real life to fly in and out of LOWI :D
 
Also the HuGs is stunning, shows the iFly one for what it is :D A poor second best. I've been watching the vids of it and the Ifly is just a fixed hud on the glass. the PMDG is collimated and stay in the right place regardless of your head position. One of those better to see than try and explain.
 
I'm having good fun doing hand flying and she handles so well but I'm not having much luck on manual approaches either - so difficult to slow her down and too much flare on landing will give you a huge bounce or two.

Takeoff and climb out following the flight directors is really nice. It is fairly sensative with only small movements necessary which is quite hard on my joystick. Must get the CH yoke dug out again but I don't have pedals which is annoying.

I must get into the manuals soon and enjoy the nightime reading material. All 2500+ pages of it.
 
Hi, does anyone have any quick recommendations for free FSX stuff? The PMDG 737 looks incredible, but £40 is a little too steep for me at the moment, considering I only fly on FSX every now and again. I've been using stock FSX for years, it's just some of the screens in here look incredible.

All I'm really looking for is some liveries and some scenery, really. Most of the flights I do are just flying the 737 around the UK, maybe do a longer flight every now and again. Are there any decent free or cheap UK scenery available? I'm not looking for anything too fancy, just a little more detail. Also, are there any recommended liveries for the stock aircraft? Just things like Easyjet, BA, that kind of thing.

Thanks very much.
 
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