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I’m still waiting to see how much MSFS2020 and the PMDG 737 for that sim comes out to be before I jump on the NGXu. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to get it when they offered a future discount. I’d just purchased a new computer, P3Dv4, and the 737NGX in September and the wife was not keen on me spending another hundred on a newer version of what I just bought.
Now that I’ve had a few opportunities to try it, as you know, I really like the improvements. The half duplexing is a little frustrating during heavy traffic events only because so many still seem used to the old way and that buzz in the headset can get a little loud sometimes. The distance-based distortion is a nice touch.
I haven’t flown near any storms yet, so I don’t know if they’ve added any weather-based effects. It would be kind of cool to hear those static bursts from lightning strikes. I remember Reality-XP’s ADF gauge in the Flightline N package would spike toward lightning strikes as in the real-world along with getting wonky in certain weather conditions, so it is possible to simulate. Though the only possible issue I could see is since each sim is depicting the weather differently, it might be hard to talk between strikes when not everyone is avoiding talking through the same static bursts.
I hear ya. I’ve gone from an A&P to a parts guy in the interim as over half our fleet is sitting idle.
One question that’s been on my mind is fleet conformity with the 737s. Is there a master list of settings for the PMDG? I know we use a fail-passive autopilot and we’re not ETOPS so I removed systems related to that, but I’ve been wondering about other equipment.
I have LatinVFR MIA and TropicalSim MCI along with Flightbeam MSP. I also have the excellent freeware SunSkyJet PHL and wish they’d finish their DTW.
I’ve scoured my usual repository at freewarescenery.com, but the ones specifically for P3D are scant and I’m not sure which FSX sceneries easily port over. So I figured I’d pick the collective brains here for what they personally use.
I went from a top-of-the-line laptop purchased in 2010 to a fairly well-spec’ed DIY desktop I built last fall and it’s been a chasm of difference even jumping from FS9 to P3Dv4.
Congrats. Hopefully you’ll find flying the 737 much easier with a newer computer. You’ll be surprised how much comes back after a flight or two.
I was excited to see the unveiling, and also glad I upgraded the computer and sim as the FS9 option is rather mediocre. I’m curious to see how much the simulated real-world radio limitations, and if they plan on ever adding weather-based effects. I’m hoping to test it out sometime within the week now that I’m getting more comfortable with the new sim and PMDG bird.
Any difficulties setting up the voice client?
We do, they can be found in the airport advisory pages located here: https://www.midconair.net/flight-ops-electronic-library/. To find that page in the future, click on Flight Crew, then Electronic Library.
It sounds that I’m the one misunderstanding. My real-world experience is very much GA as a pilot and Part 135 as a mechanic, so the workings of FMC systems is limited to what I’ve gleaned from flight simming over the last two decades. I know the Garmin 430s I’m used to as both a pilot and mechanic are very limited in their memory, so it only mildly surprises me that FMCs on transport category aircraft have similarly crappy storage capabilities
To clarify, I’d like to enter a company route in the Route page in the CDU, in whichever way that is realistically implemented. From what you’ve said, it sounds like it’s less a stored database on the aircraft than it’s an uplink during preflight. I always wondered since it’s often in the format of MCIMDW01, MCIMDW02, etc.
Whether stored in the FMC or uplinked, I believe PFPX can manage the database of routes when the navdata changes.
I’d always understood company routes to be a rather large database with multiple routings used as required for weather and ATC. I’ve also understood them to be a tool in the bag, not the bag of tools itself. Sort of a quick and dirty way to shave time for the dispatcher and the pilot when conditions afford it.
The tools I’ve been looking at all surround the Route Database. One of the biggest hurdles I always saw in the past was the inability to verify routes after each AIRAC cycle automatically, something that PFPX does. Now, how often and how many become invalid every 56 days I wouldn’t know off hand. I know the creation phase would be somewhat time-consuming, but I know the KMCI originating routes that shipped with PFPX are all still valid having been created in 2013 (except for two to Europe).
I’ve never been completely familiar with the when and how of company routes, other than knowing most transport category aircraft have had the functionality for a few decades. I’m not even sure if real-world operators are even still bothering with the system. I have a feeling, and you would know better on this, that company routes databases likely are more utilized on domestic operations where there’s a finite number of routing changes between pairs, especially short routes. For KMCI-KMDW, FlightAware, for instance, shows 8 different routes used in the last week, one that was used 51 times, seven of which were used only once, and of those seven used once, only one of which looks like a canned route “ROYAL9 TONCE ENNZO ENDEE4”. The rest utilized various RNAV fixes to start the route (e.g. BQS263022). The one used 51 times is already a default in the PFPX route database and is still valid, and that is “ROYAL9 ARENZ DCT IRK ENDEE4”.
FlightAware’s IFR Route Analyzer would be a quick and dirty way to create routes between pairs as it sorts them by most used. In playing with it, I just enter in the airports in their fields then copy and paste the route from FlighAware. It automatically names them when you save (KMCIKDFW01, KMCIKDFW02, etc).
I’ve just always seen it as a touch of realism (provided real-world airlines still bother with it). I’m just not sure, like you, if it would be too much headache for the benefit. The initial creation could at least be sped up if we had enough people with PFPX who could just take a chunk of the data as the files are saved per route, not as one database file.
Have you ever thought about implementing company routes for the FMC? It looks like there are some good tools for managing and exporting them.
I’ll be skipping over FSX. I’ve had it since it came out, but I could run FS9 with max settings and high-detail add-ons while FSX never ran on any computer I’ve had unless I removed add-ons and ran with minimum settings. Though, FS5, FS95, and FS98 were the only ones I upgraded to sequentially. I moved on to the Terminal Reality series between FS98 and FS9.
I’ve looked at the Orbx stuff and I’m hoping for holiday sales. Especially since they have Felts Field (KSFF) where I took my first flight lesson and Kenai Municipal (PAEN) where I flew out of the first 14 years of my life (starting two weeks after my birth). If they develop Spokane International (KGEG) and Portland-Hillsboro (KHIO) my wallet and marriage may suffer. This past February they apparently had a 70% off sale for first-time customers and I may wait them out to see if it comes back around. From what I’ve seen though, I’ll definitely be snagging it when I can afford it.
I’m definitely grabbing Active Sky as I’ve been using it since version 6 and currently am using ASE (which apparently still grants me a discount on AS16/ASP4). I also understand it’s what drives the WXR in the PMDG NGX. Do you prefer REX SF3D over Hi-Fi ASCA? I’m having a hard time from videos and reviews determining which does a better job.
The processor, Blu-ray drive, and case already arrived as of today. Already I’ve hit a snag with the case as it’s much larger than I was envisioning and doesn’t fit under my desk where I’d hoped. However, going from a full to mid tower only shaves an inch and a half on how far it’ll stick out (still 3 inches into where my chair should sit). I measured but realized I hit the wall with the tape measure and forgot there is a cross-member support. I’m just going to have to find a different storage spot for all my flight sim peripherals besides piled on each other the floor under my desk when not in use. This is probably a good thing.
Sorry for hijacking your thread, Ian. Having re-read your post after catching up on about 20 years of technology, I think your GPU is adequate without jumping up to the RTX 20 series unless you want to “future proof” and your RAM is fine even if a lower speed though it might be worth adding more if you’ve got the slots. The CPU is most-likely the bottleneck in the system. So you may get away with getting just the newer processor and the motherboard to support it for around $500-600. I ultimately was fighting between the GTX 1070 and the RTX 2070 Super. I went with the RTX only because the pricing was similar at time of purchase. After a year of the RTX being out, not much has adopted ray-tracing which is about all it has over the GTX line. If I had the GTX1070 already, there just wouldn’t be much incentive for me to shell out for the RTX right now.
Well. I pulled the trigger on the computer. Parts will be arriving between Wednesday and the weekend. I caught FS2Crew for the PMDG737NGX 64bit and GSX + Level 2 bundle while the sales were on this weekend. Besides ASP4 and the PMDG 737NGX (and of course P3D4), what are the goto add-ons? I was using FSGenesis terrain and Ultimate Terrain with FS9, along with the freeware airport environment upgrade textures. Are the ORBX Global packages worth the cost?
Fortunately, some of my stuff with FS9 will transfer (like PFPX and FS Captain).
After 15 years milking FS9 along, I feel like I’m coming out of a bunker into the light of day.
