Simming

[LesGawlik]

I recently decided to upgrade my sim game. I bought MS 2020, but never installed it. I used X-Plane11 in the past, and gave that a second go.

I replaced my aging laptop with a new Asus recommended for gaming. That allowed me to see texture and scenery. That's not too important, since I zoom in to the 6 pack to practice instruments. I use simming to practice on the planes I fly. I have no interest in flying the Space Shuttle on a computer.

I have G5s, and I bought the add ons for those. So far so good.

I went out on a limb and bought the Honeycomb yoke and throttle quadrant. Initial impression was, Wow. Beautifully crafted, and heavy as can be. You can set it up with 0-6 sliders, covering up to a twin with throttles, props and mixtures.

Then reality hit. I had to set this monster up to work with X-Plane. I was ready to give up. There are so many buttons and switches, it was tedious. But putting it back in boxes was more work than figuring the configuration out. And I am back to loving it now. The motion of the yoke and the feel of the throttle quadrant is excellent. The trim wheel is extremely smooth and realistically effective. There are rubber covers to blanked off unused sliders. I even have the autopilot set up like my friend's plane we may be taking to Oshkosh later.

This set up is, to me, just as realistic and the motion Redbird I was in. I know, can't log it, but really so what? It's great for proficiency.

 

[bflynn]

X-Plane is by far the better program for pilots. It's so good in fact that the Pro version of it, which has just a couple of extra features, can be used to drive an official BATD or AATD. Of course there's a lot more to those than the software, but it's that good.

MS 2020 is a game, not so much a flight sim. But it can still be fun, might be fun to fly the Ripon arrival and practice. Get together with 1000 friends and you can probably do a group flight.

 

[LesGawlik]

I think the Redbird uses the Pro versions of X-Plane. When I flew that one, it was eerily like the one I had at home. I was originally enthralled with MS 2020 because of the beautiful graphics. But I want something I can fly locally, and use the approaches I have in my AO. MS 2020 may be that some day, but X-Plane 11 is that program now.

What got me back into simming was an instrument session where I was going into a Bravo during the pandemic when nobody was flying, so they could easily fit me in. I thought I'd nail this. I don't know what happened, but my ILS track was like the turns across a road I did in primary. It was, in a word, humbling. I dusted off the computer and set up X-Plane. I spent some time doing approaches, and that helped greatly.

 

[Rich Holt]

I concur with the brain trust here. XP11 is a far better simulation. Also, XP12 is right around the corner and then the graphics will match the prettiness of MSFS. I use Vatsim, occasionally, to keep fresh with ATC procedures as well. Although the controllers are unpaid and sometimes you get what you paid for.

 

[tsts4]

I think the Redbird uses the Pro versions of X-Plane. When I flew that one, it was eerily like the one I had at home. I was originally enthralled with MS 2020 because of the beautiful graphics. But I want something I can fly locally, and use the approaches I have in my AO. MS 2020 may be that some day, but X-Plane 11 is that program now.

What got me back into simming was an instrument session where I was going into a Bravo during the pandemic when nobody was flying, so they could easily fit me in. I thought I'd nail this. I don't know what happened, but my ILS track was like the turns across a road I did in primary. It was, in a word, humbling. I dusted off the computer and set up X-Plane. I spent some time doing approaches, and that helped greatly.

I have a Redbird TD2 BATD. It uses Prepar3D, or P3D, which is a Lockheed Martin branch version of MS Flight Sim X. I also used a Redbird FMX during my IR training and it too ran P3D.

 

[Trogdor]

I highly highly recommend Pilot Edge. I don’t sim without it.

 

[sarangan]

I recently decided to upgrade my sim game. I bought MS 2020, but never installed it. I used X-Plane11 in the past, and gave that a second go.

I replaced my aging laptop with a new Asus recommended for gaming. That allowed me to see texture and scenery. That's not too important, since I zoom in to the 6 pack to practice instruments. I use simming to practice on the planes I fly. I have no interest in flying the Space Shuttle on a computer.

I have G5s, and I bought the add ons for those. So far so good.

I went out on a limb and bought the Honeycomb yoke and throttle quadrant. Initial impression was, Wow. Beautifully crafted, and heavy as can be. You can set it up with 0-6 sliders, covering up to a twin with throttles, props and mixtures.

Then reality hit. I had to set this monster up to work with X-Plane. I was ready to give up. There are so many buttons and switches, it was tedious. But putting it back in boxes was more work than figuring the configuration out. And I am back to loving it now. The motion of the yoke and the feel of the throttle quadrant is excellent. The trim wheel is extremely smooth and realistically effective. There are rubber covers to blanked off unused sliders. I even have the autopilot set up like my friend's plane we may be taking to Oshkosh later.

This set up is, to me, just as realistic and the motion Redbird I was in. I know, can't log it, but really so what? It's great for proficiency.

In addition to everything you said, one of the issues I have faced with a sim is the inflexibility to modify the panel to match your own airplane. This was a source of frustration for me because the whole point of a simulator is to mimic the real thing. In the end, I got into the nuts and bolts of Xplane and figured out how to build my own panel. It is a very long and tedious process, but you can take a photograph of your panel and replicate it in Xplane. I posted a tutorial on how to do this.
http://sarangan.org/aviation/2020/05/07/modifying-xplane-cockpits-using-blender-gimp/

 

[LesGawlik]

I used to consider myself fairly adept at computer things, but that time has passed. If you go the X-Plane route, you have to be tech oriented. No "Install Wizards" to guide you through. The files may not be placed where you want them, and there may not be an icon on your desktop. You may have to root around to start it. If you add scenery, which I did yesterday, you have to file series of instructions which were obscure to me. I ended up deciding I didn't want the scenery that much anyway. Tech support for add-ons is highly variable. I bought a Sundowner model and I could never get it to work. The model installed okay, but when I tried to fly the instruments were all grayed out. I tried for months to get the tech support people to answer. That was about 18 months ago. I know there are boards and forums where questions can be asked, but it comes down to a question of time.

 

[Dry Creek]

I just installed a copy of X-Plane 11 today (8 DVD Discs). It really is a step up from MSFS-X, and I like it better than FlightGear 2020. I haven't been able to load MSFS 2020, the download would take ages at my 12 Mbps connection.

I wish I had the money for the Honeycomb. It always gets rave reviews from the users. My Saitek/Logitech yoke is about to undergo surgery. I am getting frustrated at the heavy centering return spring pull on the pitch axis. It does tend to reinforce trimming the pull out though, but makes practicing the same maneuvers I did for real on my weekly lesson with the CFI quite a chore. It's just not realistic. The Turtle Beach yoke and throttle quadrant are interesting. I like how the throttle/prop/mixture controls closely mimic the 172 I am training in (sans prop control, of course). The slider controls on the Saitek/Logitech are OK, but are different from the trainer I am flying in. Not happy at all with the Saitek/Logitech rudder pedals. They are at the wrong angle, to sensitive, and won't stay put. I have some mods I will be working on. The Thrustmaster TPR would be my choice if I had the spare change for them.

I trat my simulator time as a learning tool, and not a game. I always depart from the airport where I'm training, and repeat the exercises from the previous lesson.

I have taken a diversion and flown over my house. They still don't have that nearly as accurate as in MSFS 2020. The barns are missing, and they don't have our tanks (stock ponds).

 

[LesGawlik]

For years I used the CH Yoke. It's a fine accessory, and it has throttle, prop and mixture. The Honeycomb is more complicated, but having had both, I could live with the CH if I had to. I, too, have no interest in using the sim as a game. It is just practice and a preview of future trips. The closest thing to a "game" I use it for is to attempt to recreate the situations of accidents I learn about on YT.

 

[Dry Creek]

For years I used the CH Yoke. It's a fine accessory, and it has throttle, prop and mixture. The Honeycomb is more complicated, but having had both, I could live with the CH if I had to. I, too, have no interest in using the sim as a game. It is just practice and a preview of future trips. The closest thing to a "game" I use it for is to attempt to recreate the situations of accidents I learn about on YT.

I would guess that probably 99.9% of members on this board feel the same way. What is annoying to me is when you try to find useful information for settings and the discussion is primarily driven by "gamers" who have no interest in, nor any concept of realism. The discussion is usually centered around the use of the simulator as a game, yet there are no real points given for anything - are there?