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

Vuvuzela · 8 Jun 2012 at 00:51

ringo747 said:
Great fun tonight - must do that again!

good fun indeed

Nate--IRL-- · 8 Jun 2012 at 01:01

This is kinda cool.

Nate

danjama · 8 Jun 2012 at 03:01

Where to start with jet liners? I'm an excellent prop pilot. Jet systems baffle me. My head hurts when you all talk about auto landings, but would love to learn.

Vuvuzela · 8 Jun 2012 at 11:59

Blue, hello mate, not sure if you have installed the update yet for ifly but after we spoke last night I installed the update and I think it has a few issues(again this could be my setup of the FMC/MCP and the plane haha :rolleyes:

) it will be interesting to hear what you say when you have done it.

The first thing I noticed is when you setup your planes in the config tool, on the 2nd page when you choose winglets and the MCP, whatever MCP you choose its always defaults to the older one with the older switches even though I clicked the box. Not sure why it’s doing that, can’t see anything on the iFly support pages mentioning this?

I managed to setup everything in the FMC again, Cardiff to Jersey. Setup the Sid and Star like we did, that all was fine. Set the altitude to 3000 etc etc. I took off and after a couple on min hit auto pilot clicked V Nav and L Nav and the plane started to do its thing. I had to ascend from 3000 to 5000 so I clicked on the altitude switch and as soon as I did this, in 3 clicks the altitude settings went down to Zero and stayed like that?? I couldn’t change it again, but the plane carried on the course and was doing its thing i.e. as soon as it hit its waypoints it was at the right speed and right altitude so it was following the FMC just fine. Got to my cruise height of 12000ft and thought everything was just fine and the reason the altitude settings went to Zero is because of the new update and this is something they have added.

Well I was wrong and now the fun starts.

The plane stayed at 12000 ft and when the FMC hit its next waypoint, the plane needed to be at 8000ft but it wouldn’t descend at all and as I mentioned before, I couldn’t adjust the altitude manually because it wouldn’t allow me, when I tried to click on the altitude button nothing would happen(I have a screen shot, I can show you later)

As I got closer to Jersey It did pick up the morse code from the LOC, (yes I was 12000ft obviously way to high but wanted to try a few things) but still pressed the LOC button, V Nav button went out and L NAV stayed on and the plane did something. It flew straight over Jersey and the passengers were not very happy.....

After that I just ended the flight. So not sure what went on with the Altitude button and why it wouldn’t allow me to change it :confused:

Vuvuzela · 8 Jun 2012 at 12:08

danjama said:
Where to start with jet liners? I'm an excellent prop pilot. Jet systems baffle me. My head hurts when you all talk about auto landings, but would love to learn.

I started with the Just flight A320(recommended from here) which IMO is a great plane to start with. It needs some reading and the FMC is quite basic but you will be up flying in no time.

As you can see from the post above and with help from Bluetonic, I’m slowly getting my head around the iFly 737 and having a lot of fun with it. The Devs have done a great job with it.

!bluetonic! · 8 Jun 2012 at 19:25

Vuvuzela said:
Blue, hello mate, not sure if you have installed the update yet for ifly but after we spoke last night I installed the update and I think it has a few issues

Yes, I've now installed the update and trying it out.

Vuvuzela said:
The first thing I noticed is when you setup your planes in the config tool, on the 2nd page when you choose winglets and the MCP, whatever MCP you choose its always defaults to the older one with the older switches even though I clicked the box. Not sure why it’s doing that, can’t see anything on the iFly support pages mentioning this?

Run the ifly config tool as 'right click', 'run as administrator' to get the settings to save.

Vuvuzela said:
I managed to setup everything in the FMC again,
<snip>

I'll do that flight now and see what happens with the update.

Vuvuzela · 8 Jun 2012 at 19:49

I'm doing the same flight again right now and once again I have clicked on the altitude button and its gone from 3000ft down to 00000 in 3 clicks and I cant change it.

will do a quick video of it..

!bluetonic! · 8 Jun 2012 at 19:54

danjama said:
Where to start with jet liners? I'm an excellent prop pilot. Jet systems baffle me. My head hurts when you all talk about auto landings, but would love to learn.

If you're an excellent prop pilot, the transition would be more of a programmatic one.

Jetliners and large planes aren't allowed to fly VFR and need to have a preprogrammed route to follow in their FMC to fly IFR.

From an airport, you need a route to follow after takeoff (SID) and a route to follow to land (STAR). The bit in the middle is the airway/s.

So in our Cardiff (EGFF) to Jersey (EGJJ) example, our route would potentially be:-

EXMOR N864 BHD N862 SKERY

EXMOR, BHD and SKERY are waypoints.
N864 and N862 are highways in the sky that link the waypoints.

We're taking off from Cardiff, so it'll be either Runway 30 or 12. We'll choose runway 30. We need to go South, so our 'SID' is 'EXMO1A'. This links us to the EXMOR waypoint from above. The '5000' number is that we must be at that altitude by that point. The screenshot is from Aivlasoft's EFB.

More information on UK airports departure and arrivals can be found here:-
http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index.php%3Foption=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=6&Itemid=13.html

FSX default planes don't do FMC, but can you buy third party ones that do. Eg PMDG, iFly etc. You can also use a program called VASFMC to give FSX default planes FMC capabilities via an external tool.

If after absorbing all of that your head doesn't hurt

, you're nearly there!

And don't forget to join us on our next OCUK online flight and please ask away.

!bluetonic! · 8 Jun 2012 at 19:55

Vuvuzela said:
I'm doing the same flight again right now and once again I have clicked on the altitude button and its gone from 3000ft down to 00000 in 3 clicks and I cant change it.

will do a quick video of it..

I'm on mumble now if you're about.

Vuvuzela · 8 Jun 2012 at 19:58

!bluetonic! said:
I'm on mumble now if you're about.

ok give me 2 min mate

toString · 8 Jun 2012 at 20:02

Can't recommend the PMDG 737 enough. Not a lot that plane can't do!

Iraklis F.C. · 8 Jun 2012 at 21:59

pmdg's FMC is 99% close to the real thing, i have bought the whole package and it is awesome, needs some experience to use it though and lil bit of exercise.

Vuvuzela · 8 Jun 2012 at 22:39

found the issue Blue it was my settings in FSX for some reason it had changed to metric and that's why it messed up the altitude button..

I'm online and will be for a while....

danjama · 9 Jun 2012 at 01:43

!bluetonic! said:
If you're an excellent prop pilot, the transition would be more of a programmatic one.

Jetliners and large planes aren't allowed to fly VFR and need to have a preprogrammed route to follow in their FMC to fly IFR.

From an airport, you need a route to follow after takeoff (SID) and a route to follow to land (STAR). The bit in the middle is the airway/s.

So in our Cardiff (EGFF) to Jersey (EGJJ) example, our route would potentially be:-

EXMOR N864 BHD N862 SKERY

EXMOR, BHD and SKERY are waypoints.
N864 and N862 are highways in the sky that link the waypoints.

We're taking off from Cardiff, so it'll be either Runway 30 or 12. We'll choose runway 30. We need to go South, so our 'SID' is 'EXMO1A'. This links us to the EXMOR waypoint from above. The '5000' number is that we must be at that altitude by that point. The screenshot is from Aivlasoft's EFB.

More information on UK airports departure and arrivals can be found here:-
http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index.php%3Foption=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=6&Itemid=13.html

FSX default planes don't do FMC, but can you buy third party ones that do. Eg PMDG, iFly etc. You can also use a program called VASFMC to give FSX default planes FMC capabilities via an external tool.

If after absorbing all of that your head doesn't hurt , you're nearly there!

And don't forget to join us on our next OCUK online flight and please ask away.

Thanks for that excellent explanation. I had no idea large jets were not allowed to fly VFR!

I have the F-Lite 737-200 now, and am going to go through the manual and see how I get on.

Think i'll look at the A320 next too, Vuvuzela

!bluetonic! · 9 Jun 2012 at 08:31

Vuvuzela said:
found the issue Blue it was my settings in FSX for some reason it had changed to metric and that's why it messed up the altitude button..

I'm online and will be for a while....

I'm pleased. I think I had that issue with another plane, but would have forgotten the solution.

!bluetonic! · 9 Jun 2012 at 08:34

danjama said:
Thanks for that excellent explanation. I had no idea large jets were not allowed to fly VFR!

To add to this, on VATSIM you are and I'm sure there are other exceptions.

So the iFly update was installed and I've now got HUDs for all aircraft, a terrain map and lots of other bits and polished pieces. Well done to them.

Vuvuzela · 10 Jun 2012 at 06:19

!bluetonic! said:
a terrain map and lots of other bits and polished pieces. Well done to them.

How do you access the terrain map please mate?

yes loving the ifly 737.... still unclear on a few things but we can go through it when we mumble again....

toString · 10 Jun 2012 at 17:10

If it's what I'm thinking of in the PMDG then it 'magically' appears when you're close to mountains etc on the 2nd display (I don't know the name! (the one with the flightplan on).

!bluetonic! · 10 Jun 2012 at 17:34

I'm not sure of the ins and outs, but I pressed the 'terr' button somewhere top left.

ringo747 · 10 Jun 2012 at 18:32

Yep it is the Terr button on the EFIS Panel.