Microsoft Flight Sim 2020

[Lusekofte]

14 hours ago, LukeFF said:

As for the pit, nah, gonna disagree on that one

You can’t, sorry. Only me can decide what I like ?

[BOO]

13 hours ago, Lusekofte said:

I get that. That is why I bought Fulcrum yoke

Turms out i totally messed up the curves by adding positve not negative values (duh). I think think , like you  a yoke is an essential thing for msfs as string loaded sticks behave quite differently but, for now, much better amd fits right into the Fox and Cubs Im using and it reacts very well with a "feel" of a a little airflow/weight.

 

I also bought GSX to add some life. Yeah - thats not going to be a thing. So far all ive manged to do is instruct the ground cew to ram my cub with a food trolley. Im also leaning that AI traffic is 1) idiotic, using smaller airfield taxi ways as highways and 2) best viewed from another continent. So thays going to!. 

[Lusekofte]

I am very particular with my gear. I cannot fly a plane with a stick with a yoke or visa versa. So I have a hybrid pit looking like a chopper two engined prop plane locker. 
not pretty but works. 
I got too much gear. Two collectives, 3 sticks and 5 throttles if you count in Virpil sharka panel 

I gonna have a big sale to get rid of stuff. 
right now the little flying I do is msfs and only once a week for less than a hour.  This is why my DC 3 still is parked in a jungle strip in Brazil. Have no patience or time to take it an adequate distance. But I love reading about your enthusiasm. It helps motivate for a longer trip

[LukeFF]

Sharjah Intl (OMSJ) to Jinnah Intl (OPKC), Karachi, Pakistan (real-time weather, time of day, and traffic):

 

It was a hazy morning on the ramp at OMSJ. After fueling back up (including the auxiliary tanks for the first time on this trip!) and waiting for some traffic to clear the runway, we were on our way:

 

 

After passing over the tops of haze-covered mountains near the coast, it was back out over the open water:

 

 

After that, it was out over the open water for most of the rest of the trip. Thankfully, the turbulence left us alone on this leg of the trip, and a generous tailwind pushed us along. Eventually, Karachi came into view and we descended into OPKC for an uneventful final approach and landing:

 

[Lusekofte]

taking a 30 minutes flight from Tromsoe to Alta . still my favorite

[Lusekofte]

and landed , passangers happy

[BOO]

1 hour ago, Lusekofte said:

and landed , passangers happy

My flying prowess is such that I take "relieved" for "happy" passenger wise. The absence of a law suit is a positive review

[DD_Arthur]

I like to have ‘em screaming ?

[Lusekofte]

8 minutes ago, DD_Arthur said:

I like to have ‘em screaming ?

Well, they normally do. Somehow I fu** up descending so bad. But I do it out of incompetence not purpose

[BOO]

My Globe Tour has commenced! After considerable research (I googled the Bush League Legends site I saw they had/are already doing what I wanted) I have a plan ( I copied theirs and broke it up a bit more to avoid too long a trip each section). A World Tour in something small over many many hours, days, months and possibly years.

 

Sorry no screenshots to mark this occasion - i forgot for the most part and when i remembered didnt know how - i will do better! 

 

 

The intention is to fly in real time with real weather at a realistic payload of me = 180lb (yes 180lb..rude) and 150lb of kit. My ride of choice is the Got Gravel Moster NX Cub for a number of reasons (none of which is the NOS system) namely its small, its simple, G3X glass pit with AP, 115 knot cruisng speed with a 600+Nm range, trike U/C that elimiates nose over on the short strips being used caused by my own lack of skill,  its powerful (215HP) engine for its size and its supposed to be pretty accurately modelled (I wouldny know cos Im a casual simmer). I may chop and change this with the Fox 2 and Cubcrafter X Cubs as the tour progresses and I become more proficient in STOL. 

 

So Day 1.  First Flight Aerodrome (Kittyhawk USA) to Roanoke, Virginia - 3 Hours flight time - benign weather for the most part with a good deal of Turbulence around Roanoke and its airport. 

 

.....So thats what Virginia looks like. Well you can colour me impressed. Beautiful place....lots of things that look like prisions though. I was a little mystified as to why the "World Tour" effectively set off in the wrong direction (we're going west to east) until I looked out of the window. Entering the west of Virginia it only gets better as the hills and mountains rise out of the distance, Roanoke being the perfect stop over to go have some fun around the Rocky Mountain area before moving on whilst testing out the ILS system.

 

The flight itself was an opportunity to get familar with the G3X unit and A/P as well as get some time in turbulent air in something small and light. After some inital head scratching, I discovered the CDI source setting on the G3X and happy nav a/p began. Approach using A/P and the fields ILS was also tried - it appeared to work (though my sequence was perhaps more fraught than it ought to have been as i didnt enter appoach mode at the correct time). I abandoned the ILS landing trial just short of the threshold due to the 22Kt side wind and did as I was told, entering a LH landing pattern for an into wind non ILS runway and doing it the old fashioned way. This will be one of only a relatively few larger ILS equipped regional airports in any case as, for the most part, this tour is about roughing it. The stopping distance of the NX Cub is impressive. Me accidentally engaging the parking brake at some point in the flight, less so. Thats a keybind that needs to be moved somewhere safe. 

 

So -the experience? - Flying over relatvely flat rural scenes at 1000-1500ft is something MSFS does incredibly well, especially as the sun begins to set. Far from boring, the scenery is stunning, detail good and immersion total. Occasionally you do come across the "sat flat" imagery (one very noticable large industral scab on the landscape jarred me back to reality) but these are few and far between and noticable simply because they are an exception. On the gound things are somewhat flat but its a flight sim not a taxi sim and for the experience in the air, I can forgive that. The slighly teal green hue to roads is odd but that could be on my side. I also overflew one remote property with a huge red splodge outside its back door......I'll might report it to the local police. 

 

I had experiemented with GSX to add a bit of something to to ground experience but its not for small things (or for that matter working things). Having a female ground handler morph into the cockpit with her head at groin level,  leaning forward and bobbing (presumably attaching the bar to the wheel) is not the "realism" i expected no matter how many stories of airline captains Ive heard.  I will likey re-enable this mod just for that screenie though...

 

Tomorrow I'll do something around the Rocky mountains, possibly in the Fox or Savage Carbon Cub.  I may also take a Cub floater for a spin before setting off to the Chesapeake River for a stop over on the WV08 Island Airport strip. Before all that though I'll learn how to take screenshots (and in the case of the GSX ground handler, moneyshots). 

Edited April 2, 2023 by BOO

[LukeFF]

1 hour ago, BOO said:

My Globe Tour has commenced! After considerable research (I googled the Bush League Legends site I saw they had/are already doing what I wanted) I have a plan ( I copied theirs and broke it up a bit more to avoid too long a trip each section). A World Tour in something small over many many hours, days, months and possibly years.

 

Sorry no screenshots to mark this occasion - i forgot for the most part and when i remembered didnt know how - i will do better! 

 

 

The intention is to fly in real time with real weather at a realistic payload of me = 180lb (yes 180lb..rude) and 150lb of kit. My ride of choice is the Got Gravel NX Cub for a number of reasons (none of which is the NOS system) namely its small, its simple, G1000 glass pit with AP, 115 knot cruisng speed with a 600+Nm range, trike U/C that elimiates nose over on the short strips being used caused by my own lack of skill,  its powerful (215HP) engine for its size and its supposed to be pretty accurately modelled (I wouldny know cos Im a casual simmer). I may chop and change this with the Fox 2 and X Cubs as the tour progresses and I become more proficient in STOL. 

 

So Day 1.  First Flight Aerodrome (Kittyhawk USA) to Roanoke, Virginia - 3 Hours flight time - benign weather for the most part with a good deal of Turbulence around Roanoke and its airport. 

 

.....So thats what Virginia looks like. Well you can colour me impressed. Beautiful place....lots of things that look like prisions though. I was a little mystified as to why the "World Tour" effectively set off in the wrong direction (we're going west to east) until I looked out of the window. Entering the west of Virginia it only gets better as the hills and mountains rise out of the distance, Roanoke being the perfect stop over to go have some fun around the Rocky Mountain area before moving on whilst testing out the ILS system.

 

The flight itself was an opportunity to get familar with the G1000 unit and A/P as well as get some time in turbulent air in something small and light. After some inital head scratching, I discovered the CDI source setting on the G1000 and happy nav a/p began. Approach using A/P and the fields ILS was also tried - it appeared to work (though my sequence was perhaps more fraught than it ought to have been as i didnt enter appoach mode at the correct time). I abandoned the ILS landing trial just short of the threshold due to the 22Kt side wind and did as I was told, entering a LH landing pattern for an into wind non ILS runway and doing it the old fashioned way. This will be one of only a relatively few larger ILS equipped regional airports in any case as, for the most part, this tour is about roughing it. The stopping distance of the NX Cub is impressive. Me accidentally engaging the parking brake at some point in the flight, less so. Thats a keybind that needs to be moved somewhere safe. 

 

So -the experience? - Flying over relatvely flat rural scenes at 1000-1500ft is something MSFS does incredibly well, especially as the sun begins to set. Far from boring, the scenery is stunning, detail good and immersion total. Occasionally you do come across the "sat flat" imagery (one very noticable large industral scab on the landscape jarred me back to reality) but these are few and far between and noticable simply because they are an exception. On the gound things are somewhat flat but its a flight sim not a taxi sim and for the experience in the air, I can forgive that. The slighly teal green hue to roads is odd but that could be on my side. I also overflew one remote property with a huge red splodge outside its back door......I'll might report it to the local police. 

 

I had experiemented with GSX to add a bit of something to to ground experience but its not for small things (or for that matter working things). Having a female ground handler morph into the cockpit with her head at groin level,  leaning forward and bobbing (presumably attaching the bar to the wheel) is not the "realism" i expected no matter how many stories of airline captains Ive heard.  I will likey re-enable this mod just for that screenie though...

 

Tomorrow I'll do something around the Rocky mountains, possibly in the Fox or Carbon Cub.  I may also take a Cub floater for a spin before setting off to the Chesapeake River for a stop over on the WV08 Island Airport strip. Before all that though I'll learn how to take screenshots (and in the case of the GSX ground handler, moneyshots). 

 

Nice! You learn a lot on these round the world trips, that's for sure.

[Guest deleted@83466]

 

I tried to do one of those once back in FSX, coincidentally in the…wait for it…Milviz 310, and I soon learned that autopilots, ipa, and cats are a virtual pilot’s best friend when doing these long hauls.  I only got like 500 miles.

[ZachariasX]

6 hours ago, BOO said:

I was a little mystified as to why the "World Tour" effectively set off in the wrong direction (we're going west to east) until I looked out of the window.

It will be amazing what you‘ll see looking out the window going around the globe in a slow aircraft in true headwind mode. Bering Sea for instance is one of the places where you can look out your window - after you broke off the ice from the window - that you are actually flying backwards. Best views are usually in places where another takeoff after a „landing“ is unlikely.

[LukeFF]

So, decisions, decisions - do I fly farther down the coast to Mumbai, or do I take a more direct route eastward? I decided on the latter - it would take a lot of time flying down the coast, then eastwards ultimately to Australia, before flying north again towards Japan. So, our route would take us today from Jinnah Intl (OPKC) to Udaipur (VAUD) in India. Real-time weather, time of day, and traffic, as always. ?

 

 

Another hazy day on the ramp. The fuel truck was not long in coming, so after we confirmed everything looked alright, we started up and taxied out, and began our way to the east.

 

 

Busy day at OPKC as we taxied to the departure runway:

 

 

Rolling out to the east:

 

 

East or Karachi, the terrain becomes pretty barren. We had another tailwind on this leg, but the turbulence kicked up again. We climbed up to 9500 feet, where it wasn't as bad, but it was still noticeable:

 

 

The terrain eventually flattened out and became greener, before becoming yet again barren and desolate-looking:

 

 

Eventually, it became more mountainous as we approached VAUD, which went right along with the turbulence becoming much more of a pain - so much so that I had to keep the yoke pushed forward so we would meet our altitude constraints at VAUD in preparation for the final approach.

 

 

The approach into VAUD was really hazy, just like at OPKC, but we made it down via the ILS approach without too much of a problem (though a small downdraft over the threshold made me nervous for a moment).

 

 

VAUD is a smaller airport, so taxiing to our parking area wasn't an issue at all.

 

[Lusekofte]

Yet again this sim stop while looking for utdates. 
It is kind of tradition by now. 

[BOO]

Day 2 - World Tour. Its going well. NOW WITH PICTURES!!

 

Roanoke - 2VAO Red Birds Air Yard (Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia) - WV08 Island, Chesepeake, West Virgina. 2 1/2 hours flying plus 45 mins messing about in the Grravel. 

 

2 short hops today in clear skies. First to Red Birds in the hope of borrowing a Savage Grravel and armed only with the phone number of the GSX ground hander from Palma as a trade. The NX Monster behaves on landing impeccably and impresses so much I get the keys to the Grravel without a second look. This thing is gorgeous! The attendion to detail is incredible from the scratches on the plexiglass, to the pit, to the sounds. And its free!  If only it had the G3X ?  Easy to raise to tail wheel whilst standing stationary for the extra pose before a very short take off and,im off for a play. 

 

 

And what better way to spend a late spring Sunday afternoon that peeing rich lakeshore dwellers off like a big buzzing gnat! I cant get enough of the sounds let alone the graphics inside and out of this thing.

 

Fun over, its back to the yard to pick up the ugly duck and away to West Virginia. Man this is a beautful place. If you live there I hate you!! An on route bit of sightseeing at the New River Gorge Bridge, Fayetteville then onto WV08 Island Airport. 

 

 

This is the he tighest strip so far with barely a wing width between the trees and the buildings but grounded like a pro (a pro who knows he can stamp on his soft lad front wheel to stop). 

 

 

 

Day over and what do we think? MSFS doesnt do so well at ultra low level as it does at 1000ft plus but is still more than passable. At 1000ft its jaw dropping. Over the lakes its a bit  more "meh" with odd textures in abundance and sunken islands surrounded by squares of flowing water. The Grravel is an incredible piece of work. Such an engaging little beast. And its free! Its easily my favorite plane for doing daft things in.   

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by BOO

[Guest deleted@83466]

Luke, I don’t know what you might do, but if I were you, I’d go to Kathmandu.

[LukeFF]

46 minutes ago, SeaSerpent said:

Luke, I don’t know what you might do, but if I were you, I’d go to Kathmandu.

 

I like that idea. ?? Seeing where I'm at right now, it wouldn't be too much of an issue to divert to the northeast.

[ZachariasX]

16 hours ago, Lusekofte said:

Yet again this sim stop while looking for utdates. 
It is kind of tradition by now. 

They actually „fixed“ the bug that caused the game to get stuck on „checking for updates“:

Fixed game freeze during boot

 

See the release notes for su12:

https://www.flightsimulator.com/release-notes-sim-update-12-1-31-22-0/

 

Now after reinstall, my DC-6 refuses to follow the localizer (always using the old Bendix Stack). Maybe it is a setting that appeared and that I am not aware of with the latest update, maybe a bug.

 

At least the rest works on my install (for the time being).

 

Complexity is not manageable.

[ST_Catchov]

7 hours ago, BOO said:

Day 2 - World Tour. Its going well. NOW WITH PICTURES!!

 

They are really nice pics Boo. But I'm not tempted. My rig wouldn't handle it, my internet is too slow and there seem to be a number of maddening issues. I'm not going to Insaneville. Life, at my age, is too short.

[BOO]

35 minutes ago, ST_Catchov said:

 

They are really nice pics Boo. But I'm not tempted. My rig wouldn't handle it, my internet is too slow and there seem to be a number of maddening issues. I'm not going to Insaneville. Life, at my age, is too short.

Yeah I am lucky in that respect. Decent PC and passable internet. I think youd be hard pushed to find a title in this genre without issues. For me and what i want to do, msfs makes a decent fist of it. If I were taking an A320 out of JFK everyday I might feel a different. But if I were doing that it would be  because i found "Paint Drying Simulator" just too darn intense. 

 

The biggest issue i have with the sim is its overall complexity in creating user stuff. This is really where DCSs editor nails it. Odd that a developer can say "hey lets do bush flights and make a big feature of it" then stare blankly into space when it comes to following that thought up. Thankfully the community has a lot of talented people to make up some of the shortfall.

[Lusekofte]

It seems to me that I never pass 10 flights until the software make me banging my head into a wall of problems. 
I followed every tutorial on looking for update loop there is and still no go. 
well I am off to the island today for Easter vacation. So no flying for me anyway. 
 

[Hoots]

Not trying to make you feel bad Luse, but I’ve not had any issues with it at all.

[BOO]

5 minutes ago, Hoots said:

Not trying to make you feel bad Luse, but I’ve not had any issues with it at all.

I feel less bad for Luse knowing hes going to his Island whilst Im going to Aldi...

[Lusekofte]

2 hours ago, Hoots said:

Not trying to make you feel bad Luse, but I’ve not had any issues with it at all.

It is probably a hardware software dependent issue. I am well aware I am among those getting the agony , and we are relatively many. 
I am not investing much time on the problem. I had it , need something else 

2 hours ago, BOO said:

I feel less bad for Luse knowing hes going to his Island whilst Im going to Aldi...

Where is that? 
Anyway no need for sympathy on my behalf. Mentally I am ok without a sim for a while. 

[BOO]

2 hours ago, Lusekofte said:

 

Where is that? 
 

It a supermarket. Not exactly a destination although if you go with the right frame of mind an adventure nonetheless. 

[BOO]

Day 3  Island Airport, West Virginia - Gap View Airport, Pennsylvania. 400 Nm, Scattered Clouds.

 

 

Another fine day in West Virginia.

 

 

From Island Airport (strip) to Yeagar Airport to refuel initially before heading North and (at last) East towards New York. Goodbyes said and breakages paid for, I started the trip with a lesson in manually inputing the flight plan which, once I sussed out that it needs a start and an end before anything else was quick and easy. Also quick and easy was the refuel at KCRW thanks to a nifty little app called "Toolbar Pushback" by ambitious pilots. Much more suitable for small GA than GSX.

 

 

If I was unsure about how I wanted to fly these legs MSFS helpfully made by mind up thanks to some horrible late tile loading around Yeagar and along the Charleston River. Jarringly horrible. Not sure if this is a general thing of an occasional MSFS thing but it wasnt good. To avoid I elected to high fly this one and see how well the Cub performed fuel wise at altitude and, having seen the weather reports online, how the tail and side winds affected things. 

 

 

Once above 2000ft and eventually up to 14000ft, MSFS comes into its own again with realistic vistas sucking you in - for the most part. Unfortunately, nav imagaery isnt perfect and the occasion tile that seemingly hasnt had the Bing "green tinge" averaging appeared but not enough to ruin the day. The icing effects on the cockpit helped to make up for this ?

 

 

 

Turning East with our backs to the setting sun, it finally felt as though the journey had begun in ernest. At 14,000 the 34kt tailwind provided a nice TAS of 135kts and a G/S of 160kt, significantly shortening the journey time, whilst the GPS A/P held the Cub steadily at the right attitude to combat the 8Kt side wind as we passed high above the distintive ridges of Pennsylvania below. 

 

 

Into darkening skies we approached the strip. Little more than a back garden and difficult to pick out visually in the dim light, touching down in the last of the fading daylight.

 

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by BOO

[ST_Catchov]

21 hours ago, Lusekofte said:

well I am off to the island today for Easter vacation. So no flying for me anyway. 

 

17 hours ago, Lusekofte said:

I am not investing much time on the problem. I had it , need something else 

 

There are other things to enjoy in life. You have a wife .... and there is wine and solitude and getting to know each other again. 

[SidtheGit]

On 3/29/2023 at 1:40 PM, DD_Arthur said:

I can’t wait for the Vulcan to arrive. Looking forward to delivering five megatons onto Sir Edward Leigh’s head?

 

Looking forward to that air intake howl when opening up the throttles before take off..... 

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by SidtheGit

[BOO]

30 minutes ago, ST_Catchov said:

 

 

There are other things to enjoy in life. You have a wife .... and there is wine and solitude and getting to know each other again. 

.......Think I prefer Aldi. Looking at the state of me, think my missus would to. 

[Lusekofte]

1 hour ago, ST_Catchov said:

 

 

There are other things to enjoy in life. You have a wife .... and there is wine and solitude and getting to know each other again. 

Well you know at some point it had to happen. Been together since 1990 

and now finally I got to talk to her

[BOO]

40 minutes ago, Lusekofte said:

Well you know at some point it had to happen. Been together since 1990 

and now finally I got to talk to her

I avoid the sofrware issues of flight sims as a conversation starter......from experience

[Lusekofte]

1 hour ago, BOO said:

I avoid the sofrware issues of flight sims as a conversation starter......from experience

We have a common hobby like watercolour , painting and drawing. And she nit. When she gets frustrated and say I don’t understand. I refer to my experiences about software not working. And she become silent. Great stuff

[LukeFF]

7 hours ago, BOO said:

Also quick and easy was the refuel at KCRW thanks to a nifty little app called "Toolbar Pushback" by ambitious pilots. Much more suitable for small GA than GSX.

 

Yes, it's a must-have mod for planes big and small. ??

[Lusekofte]

Never heard of it. But when landed I exit the game

[LukeFF]

1 hour ago, Lusekofte said:

Never heard of it. But when landed I exit the game

 

It's meant for when you're preparing to take off and need to be pushed away from the ramp. It also has other nifty features like calling for a fuel truck. 

[ZachariasX]

22 minutes ago, LukeFF said:

It's meant for when you're preparing to take off and need to be pushed away from the ramp. It also has other nifty features like calling for a fuel truck. 

But there are key commands for that, like shift-p for pushback? Same for fuel truck. One just has to make sure that the default key bind does not conflict with other functions (like pause).

[DD_Arthur]

9 hours ago, Lusekofte said:

We have a common hobby like watercolour , painting and drawing. And she nit. When she gets frustrated and say I don’t understand. I refer to my experiences about software not working. And she become silent. Great stuff

This all sounds very, very familiar.
My wife knits and paints in watercolours or palette knife.

 

When I paint I use palette knife but only to cut the potato in half.

[LukeFF]

2 hours ago, ZachariasX said:

But there are key commands for that, like shift-p for pushback? Same for fuel truck. One just has to make sure that the default key bind does not conflict with other functions (like pause).

 

There are, but they are very basic in their functions compared to the mod, which allows you to do things like pre-plan where you want your plane pushed to, etc.

[BOO]

13 hours ago, ZachariasX said:

But there are key commands for that, like shift-p for pushback? Same for fuel truck. One just has to make sure that the default key bind does not conflict with other functions (like pause).

There are but groping around for the keyboard as opposed to a nice menu window with, as Luke says, pre-planning and fuel all in one is just nice. The less i have to remember key binds wise the better for me. 

 

Next job for me is learning what the dudes with the bats mean when directing me to a slot - had a bit of a standoff with em last night........

 

The other thing Im startig to really appeciate in GA simmin is that you dont need to tear around in between buildings as you likely were prone to in combat sims. Made that mistake with New York last night and was left feeling a little underwhelmed (not because of the sim) this morning i wanted to tweak a few settings so picked a flight over it again. This time from a little distance and about 1500ft. Totally different experience. Quite magestic. Enthralling even. Bush for low and silly, Citys for vistas and sightseeing. got it. 

 

Ive also dropped my settings a little. There a lot more scope to make subtle changes in msfs than ive experienced before. 

Edited April 5, 2023 by BOO