Checking in and checking up!

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Illi73
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 257
Joined: 04 Mar 2015, 09:12

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by Illi73 »

Thanks for the pitch_stability tip, Hook! (Good or bad, I'm getting hooked to the Connie now...) I'm currently mid-flight from Rovaniemi to Helsinki , typing this on the side while cruising... and I think I can't probably change the values mid-flight (or it may not be smart to do so), but I'll definitely change this after closing down. My controller is fine but although it seems stable near the null zone, it is very easy to make too big ups/downs with just touching the stick...

Thanks also for answering my Active Sky questions, guys! :)

And... I'm probably always overweight in the Conny... :oops:
I suck at knowing how much fuel to load into my tanks for what flight. I think actually all my flights are short enough that the 'low' setting is enough or already too much. This (what I'm now flying) is only ~375nm. I did some 500-600nm flights a bit over a week ago with the B377 Guppy-style but there I did use some time lapse. On the current flight I'm not lapsing. I don't drop fuel either. Perhaps I should. (Just saving the precious fuel rather than blasting it away ;) )

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Paughco
Senior Master Sergeant
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Joined: 30 Nov 2014, 12:27

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by Paughco »

I use this for figuring out fuel requirements: viewtopic.php?f=133&t=64605. It's a pretty cool spreadsheet.

Also, here's a checklist that you can set up to run on your kneeboard: viewtopic.php?f=133&t=58323.

Seeya
ATB
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twsharp12
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 480
Joined: 15 Dec 2015, 09:30

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by twsharp12 »

Paughco wrote: 08 Apr 2021, 13:01
Also, here's a checklist that you can set up to run on your kneeboard: viewtopic.php?f=133&t=58323.

Seeya
ATB
That's pretty nifty.

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Paughco
Senior Master Sergeant
Posts: 2095
Joined: 30 Nov 2014, 12:27

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by Paughco »

Thank you! I load that checklist and use it, then slide it all the way down on the left bottom of my screen, so all I see is the top bar. Then, when getting ready for a new phase of the flight, I slide it back up again and use it. I've got one for my newly purchased B-17 also, but it still needs editing.

Seeya
ATB
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Illi73
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 257
Joined: 04 Mar 2015, 09:12

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by Illi73 »

I actually made my own 'A5 size' notes for easy reference with each plane. That keeps my screen 'clean' basically.

Question about Active Sky... I understand from the HiFi website that they don't sell the product themselves, but you have to buy it through one of the resellers? (Sim Market, Just Flight, Aerosoft, Flight1) -- Which one would be recommendable? I would like to buy the software, download it and then use it preferably without having to rely on that I can reach the seller's website each time I want to start a flight (Like e.g. FlightSimStore went down and away and if relying on that 'a certain website still exists' for the ability to use your purchased product is a bit iffy... if you know what I mean).

twsharp12
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 480
Joined: 15 Dec 2015, 09:30

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by twsharp12 »

Illi73 wrote: 08 Apr 2021, 14:33 I actually made my own 'A5 size' notes for easy reference with each plane. That keeps my screen 'clean' basically.

Question about Active Sky... I understand from the HiFi website that they don't sell the product themselves, but you have to buy it through one of the resellers? (Sim Market, Just Flight, Aerosoft, Flight1) -- Which one would be recommendable? I would like to buy the software, download it and then use it preferably without having to rely on that I can reach the seller's website each time I want to start a flight (Like e.g. FlightSimStore went down and away and if relying on that 'a certain website still exists' for the ability to use your purchased product is a bit iffy... if you know what I mean).
SimMarket and Flight1 are both very good in my experience. You can actually download the software directly from HiFi, so you just need to buy the key from the other site. Keep that safe and you are golden.

Illi73
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 257
Joined: 04 Mar 2015, 09:12

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by Illi73 »

Thanks! Got it installed now and went on a short flight (with my Comanche) to try it out. Just take off, fly a circle and land again.

O.O

I should say it's good that after my long break from flying I started with a couple of 'FSX: fair weather' flights before flying in real weather again! Of course I had to pick a rainy day to download and install Active Sky! Haha. Low overcast is a pain! I had visibility of the runway only at 1000-1200 feet and above that it was only cloud :P And even then I sometimes had clouds blocking my view. A bit to my surprise/shock that the clouds do completely block out the VASI lights as well (I'd have expected to see them still, just dimmer).

But that means it works! And it was raining. And it does feel good to fly again with real weather. :D

And I must say that the clouds DO look awesome and much more realistic than those 'floating cupcakes' from standard FSX.
By the way, from the 'Active Sky Cloud Art', did I rightly pick "global automatic"? I thought that that one probably reflects the 'real weather situation', but I'm not sure if I understood that well. Does for example selecting the "Aerial theme" switch off the real weather and set you to 'fair weather' mode? And is "FULL DYNAMICS theme" like "GLOBAL AUTOMATIC -LITE"? Or how do they compare?

Bigfish14
Airman
Posts: 24
Joined: 27 Nov 2015, 17:30
Location: Nottingham, England

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by Bigfish14 »

Hello Illi73, like you I recently returned to FSX (bought the superior FSXSE for the re-instal, and re-installed my photo scenery and ASN for weather) having built a new PC to run MSFS2020, but I've decided to stick with FSXSE at least until A2A start making aircraft for it. The stuff on the MSFS 2020 forums about problems with flight models is too painful... I'm about to buy the Constellation too!
Hook suggested you check out TrackIR and you said you were happy with your hat switch, which I respect of course. I bought mine years ago when I flew combat flight sims and honestly if there was one bit of kit worth saving up for, that's it! Looking around both inside and outside the cockpit becomes completely natural, using your head to change where you're looking, and you can then concentrate on using your hands for what they were designed for.
Good luck with learning to fly the Connie, I'm right behind you!
Alan
i9-10900k @5.2GHz, Asus Maximus XII Hero, 32 Gb DDR4-3600, RTX 2060, Acer Predator X34, FSXSE, Honeycomb Alpha + Bravo, Logitech Pro Pedals

Illi73
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 257
Joined: 04 Mar 2015, 09:12

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by Illi73 »

Hey BigFish14,

Nice to see someone else returning after a break! (So I'm not the only one! :D )

FSXSE is doing its job great. I haven't yet looked at/into MSFS 2020 at all. In addition to hat switch I'm actually using Space+mouse as well (holding space, I have mouse-look and with the mouse-wheel I can zoom in/out). I'm used to it (and a fair bit stubborn, too) but if I ever feel that I need to move away from that I'll remember to check out TrackIR :)

The Connie is a pretty cool plane to fly, once you learn how to descend and slow down... which I really had trouble figuring out at the beginning! And also after making the elevator sensitivity adjustment in the .cfg file that Hook suggested earlier in this thread.

Have fun with the Connie! :)

Hook
Master Sergeant
Posts: 1358
Joined: 31 Dec 2012, 01:38
Location: Bonham, Texas

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by Hook »

Illi73 wrote: 10 Apr 2021, 06:10 I haven't yet looked at/into MSFS 2020 at all.
If you really like FSX or P3D, I recommend avoiding MSFS 2020 altogether. The problem is, once you get used to the MSFS scenery, it's hard to go back to the earlier sims. FSX/P3D is stable and has lots of features we want (including A2A aircraft), MSFS has incredible scenery. Not perfect, just incredible. :)

The config edit was for pitch stability. I recommend against changing control sensitivity. :D

Hook

Illi73
Staff Sergeant
Posts: 257
Joined: 04 Mar 2015, 09:12

Re: Checking in and checking up!

Post by Illi73 »

Hook wrote: 10 Apr 2021, 06:38 The config edit was for pitch stability. I recommend against changing control sensitivity. :D
Ah! Yes:
pitch_stability=2.5

I wrote my previous comment from the top of my head apparently remembered it wrong. It's pitch_stability that I set, not control sensitivity :)
Good that you noticed, Hook!

Also, just had my first applause on landing (to my great surprise, because it was a really tricky landing too! Some 16 knots cross-wind from pretty much 90 degrees - the destination airport didn't have runways in different directions). "Aced it!" - Other than that, I'm still an "average pilot" (I am not as professional as it all may sound, haha)

As for scenery, I'm running ORBX. The default FSX scenery looks 'empty and bare' to me. And yes, I think FSX(SE) boosted with ORBX and A2A planes is all I need (I now added the Active Sky to it to make it even cooler and more dynamic) - no wish to get into a sim that is buggy if/while this one is usable.

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