AVSIM Commercial ATP Add-on Review FS2CREW: 737 Pro Ed.

FS2Crew is an extraordinary achievement. To be sure other innovations have added enormously to PC-based Flight Simulation's sense of realism — among them convincing weather and cloud effects, high-resolution scenery, ATC (enhanced both with Radar Contact off-line and on line with VATSIM or IVAO) together with AI-based aircraft populating airports and filling the skies. But rarely do we see an advance such as this, albeit benefitting only those of you who enjoy flying airline transport aircraft (and for that matter FS2Crew works with only PMDG's 737-800/900 upgrade version). Because with FS2Crew you interact with the rest of your plane's crew — not only with your First Officer in the cockpit, but with your lead flight attendant and the ground crew as well.

These are seemingly live conversations that go well beyond the sound clips some aircraft packages and add-ons offer — V speeds, GPWS sounds, etc., as exemplified in Dave March's Flight Deck Companion. FS2Crew introduces a new paradigm: you must use checklists and follow authentic operating procedures (SOPs) as you interact with your crew; if you try to "wing it" your First Officer will (politely) remind or even correct you. You work your way from a 'cold and dark' cockpit through each phase of your flight: cockpit preparation, push-back and engine start, taxi, take-off clearance, climb, cruise and approach, landing, parking and either shut-down or preparing to fly the next leg. In short, FS2Crew offers a fully immersive ATP flight experience that until now you wouldn't find with anything less than a session in a full-motion simulator together with a professional instructor occupying the other seat.

How far our hobby has come in the past year or so! Designer Bryan York's FS2Crew stands on the shoulders of many remarkable advances, not the least of which is the integration of complex aircraft systems (navigation, electrical, fuel management, hydraulics and pneumatics, etc.) with true-to-life PFDs, NDs, EICAS and FMS features as pioneered by Eric Ernst with his classic 767 PIC and culminating with PMDG's 737NG (see Bert Pieké and my May 2004 review) and the soon-to-be released PMDG 747-400, as well as with PSS' Airbus series, and others. Bryan chose the PMDG 737-800/900 as the foundation for this product (you must have the upgrade from the original -600/700) — and assuming that the sim community responds well to the FS2Crew concept we can expect other aircraft types to follow.

Speaking of innovation I should mention another emerging technology, Ugo Grandolini and Maurizio Gavioli's (both of LAGO fame) gates.to product, introduced this past September at the 2004 AVSIM Convention and Exhibition in Denver. Their approach to multi-person aircraft crews — envisioned as a student pilot and his instructor, as an example — is to network each crew member's computer with the other's, but running with synchronized copies of FS. In this way an effect similar to flying with FS2Crew could be achieved (and both the Captain and the First Officer would, of course, be real people). Still lacking, though, would be the realism FS2Crew imposes by requiring adherence to SOPs and checklists — that would be up to the skill and discipline exercised by both participants. Still, 'gates.to' is an interesting concept, though that would require two computer stations, not to mention coordinating the interested partys' schedules.

FS2Crew is a remarkable computer programming achievement as well; it's implemented as 'guages' and is based on C++ technology. And for all its underlying complexity its 'user interface' is simple and straight-forward. You are presented with pop-up "pages" with which you indicate each flight's specific profile (in conjunction with how you set up the FMC). You follow "flows" in each stage of pre-flight and flight, confirming each flow's results using real-world checklists. All the while you hear dialog between yourself and crew members, tailored to what is actually happening (or is intended to happen) as the flight progresses.

Test System Dell P4 2.4 GHz WindowsXP 512 MB RAM nVidia 5950 256 MB video card Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card MS SideWinder 2 joystick Dell 17" CRT monitor Dell 15" flat panel monitor Flying Time: 18 hours over 6 days

Now with these benefits comes a personal challenge. Just as I found that mastering PMDG's 737NG required considerable study and practice before I could fly the plane properly, I spent even more time learning FS2Crew before I felt really comfortable with this program. Maybe that's because learning a modern jet transport's instrumentation and flight management processes (its FMS in particular) was for me spread over several generations of FS air transport packages, so in learning the more refined 737NG I had the advantage of that background. But flying with FS2Crew requires a different mind set — and in fact that's the point of FS2Crew. You have to know not just what buttons to push and switches to set, but you have to think in terms of procedural flows just as do real world captains and first officers. While learning to use FS2Crew I found myself reading one of the included tutorials paragraph by paragraph while consulting the main Operations Manual to recall what parameters to use with whatever screen (called a 'page') popped up, all the while following the printed Flows and Checklists (and occassionally consulting PMDG's 737NG Aircraft Operating Manual and their Flight Management Computer Handbook). I found that once I'd pretty much memorized the flows to be followed, using the screens and checklists became second nature, allowing me to focus on what I would be doing were I actually an airline pilot (who, of course, would have long-since learned and memorized these 'flows'). I promise you that once you've ramped up this rather steep 'learning curve' you'll find your flights to be far more enjoyable because you'll be performing more tasks (and responding to events) than even your imagination can conjure up.

And you'll find yourself breaking some habits doubtless formed when you performed all your flight's checklist steps for yourself. That's because with FS2Crew your First Officer actually does things for you, such as setting the switches and performing the tests for which he's responsible, raising/lowering flaps at your command, even raising the landing gear in conjunction with what you're doing during the take-off. So you have to resist your ingrained habit to reach for your mouse or joystick buttons and, harder yet, understand how the First Officer performs his flows so you don't cause problems for him (that makes for some embarrassing checklist calls!). So the result is a more authentic cockpit experience and your (the Captain's) work load is eased during rapid-fire takeoff and landing events, just as it is in real-world flying. The beauty of this is that with FS2Crew you have the added notion of 'pilot flying' and 'pilot monitoring' (generally, the pilot not flying); pilot actions and callouts change depending on which mode is being flown.

Bryan's managed to include the sophistication of both precision and various forms of non-precision landings, and even First Officer-piloted take-offs and landings, monitored Category IIIa landings (autolands), go-arounds and the like; which, with cold weather operations including aircraft deicing thrown in, is amazing when you consider that this is an initial release. Even more amazing is that he'd put so much effort into debugging FS2Crew on his own that when he turned over FS2Crew to the beta test team they found it to be 'release candidate' quality. To my knowledge the only glitches that have arisn since release a couple of weeks ago had to do with multiple monitor systems (and you guessed it, that happened to me). By the way, to his credit Bryan managed to identify and fix that problem within just a few days.

One piece of heart-felt advice is not only to print out all the provided documentation for reference, but spend some time reading and re-reading it as well, as it really pays to know where to look at a moment's notice. And you really need to know the 737NG cabin's layout (the overhead panel in particular) like the back of your hand. Please understand that the goal of products such as the PMDG 737NG, and certainly that of FS2Crew is to come as close as FS allows to duplicating the actual aircraft environment and true-to-life procedures. You simply cannot do that without study and practice — but you're rewarded with the pleasure of learning really quite a lot more about airline flying than you would without the discipline and attention to detail FS2Crew demands of you. Oh, and all this is available for $19.99 USD by download at the FS2Crew website.

I intended the foregoing to give you a feel for the flying environment FS2Crew offers. I'll be describing and illustrating some of its features and capabilities in the remainder of this review.

What are 'flows' and how do these relate to Checklists?

Well, the idea is that you (the Captain) perform a 'flow' consisting of operating controls and/or setting switches, inputting data and the like — together with other, but related flow steps assigned to the First Officer (and performed automatically by FS2Crew) — to bring your aircraft from its initial state to its next state:

• Establish Electrical Power & Conditioning
• Receiving Aircraft Flow
• Before Start Flow (followed by Pushback [optional] and Start Procedures / After Start Flow
• Taxi Flow
• Take-off Flow
• After Take-off Flow (performed entirely by the FO)
• "In Range" and Approach Flows
• Landing Flow
• After Landing Flow
• Parking Flow

Here's a representative Flow and its corresponding Checklist shown side-by-side. Note the two columns in the sample flow illustration: CA (Captain) and FO (First Officer). These delineate the steps for which each is responsible.

Flow chart – Receiving Aircraft	Checklist – Receiving Aircraft
Click on either chart for larger image

That's the general idea of FS2Crew. But there's much more. You'll hear yourself talk through some surprisingly comprehensive briefings, particularly your Departure and Approach Briefings. A few include especially-prepared (and lengthy) .wav files for complete DPs (SID) and STAR/IAP briefings, corresponding to the tutorial flights; otherwise your briefings will use generic departures and arrivals. Bryan has prepared .wav files for additional airports (see discussion at this review's conclusion below).

Let's take a flight...

The tough thing about trying to capture the essence of FS2Crew in a review such as this one is that it's the dynamics and the accompanying sounds (including equipment in operation, doors closing when they should and so forth) that provide the ambience, which I can't reproduce here. So I'll do the next best thing, take you along on an illustrated flight I made from San Francisco's KFSO to Los Angeles' KLAX (the Tutorial 1 flight), and I'll mention some of FS2Crew's other features as we come to them. But you can get an idea of how FS2Crew's 'pages' look and hear some of the sounds by downloading and running Bryan's PowerPoint 'teaser' from Avsim's library here.

FS2Crew is activated when you click the green Start box on FS2Crew's Configuration page.

To set up FS2Crew you first load the default Cessna at the chosen airport, then close its Mixture control and turn off the Ignition and Master switches (but not the Avionics switch); this preliminary step is necessary to properly condition FS2Crew interaction with the PMDG 'cold and dark' 737-800 or -900 version and passenger/cargo configuration when you load that (from FS's Select Aircraft menu). After choosing the fuel load for your planned flight you start FS2Crew by clicking on the 'C' in the CPAL main interface, which opens the Configuration Page (illustrated to the left). I've indicated that we're making a Gate departure at San Francisco for our flight to Los Angeles; and I've indicated an estimated 12 minute's time to departure (not critical, but might save us some time after performing most of our preflight flows, then waiting for the Flight Attendant to tell us the cabin is ready for departure).

There's way too much in FS2Crew to enumerate all the steps and options available to you here, so I'll just point out a few items of interest as we go along.

Once you get electrical power (battery, then the APU) you'll begin your Receiving Aircraft flow (see illustration above). Right away your Flight Attendant enters the cockpit for the upcoming leg's cabin crew briefing (lower left illus.) So there's plenty of ambiance as you get things going — hearing your spoken briefing and equipment noise (the stickshaker and GPWS test calls are examples) as the First Officer goes through his flow items, rustling papers whilst looking things up and so forth; Bryan's paid amazing attention to detail to create a sense of 'being there' (that's what I meant with the comment that once you've become comfortable with your assigned tasks you'll begin to appreciate what else is going on around you).

Notice that the Receiving Aircraft page is visible in each view below — that will be on the screen for awhile as you load your KSFO-KLAX flight plan and flight parameters into the FMC, and transfer the computed Vr and V1 speeds to the Receiving page (and V2 in the MCP Speed window) along with other pre-flight chores. Your plane's Loadsheet will have appeared from Dispatch on your virtual flight deck printer (the right-hand illustration below). Once you and the FO complete your tasks you'll call for the Receiving Checklist (the other illustration above) by clicking on the Receiving page's green checkmark box and then respond to each of the FO's spoken calls, checking each other's work. That's the idea; you interact with one-another more or less continuously throughout the flight to manage the aircraft's systems and controls.

Overhead view – Flight Attendant Briefing call

Overhead panel view while performing the Aircraft Receiving Flow.

We've just been handed our (generic) Loadsheet

The departure briefing page comes up once your start time counter reaches zero and your lead flight attendant asks if you're ready for her to close the flight deck door. (Notice the time-to-go countdown in the upper right-hand corner of the Receiving page as shown in the lower-left illus. below). By the way, there's a random chance that delays will occur — to load more baggage or extra meals, for example, or perhaps a passenger will become sick while you're in flight causing your flight to be diverted.

Now we get ready to brief the FO on details of our planned departure. A dialog set-up page appears where you indicate details such as runway condition, anti-icing and bleeds settings and the like. Again, FS2Crew's structure allows you to tailor these briefings to the conditions you're simulating for particular flights, which will be followed by narration in your (the Captain's) voice. In this example I've selected 'flaps 5' and the Noise Abatement Procedure mode I've chosen, 'ICAO B' with the VNAV automation mode. Details such as these might seem trivial until you realize that by the choices such as these you make you're also conditioning FS2Crew's internal program to manage both content and timing of the FO's actions later in the flight. You'll be amazing as you hear the actual briefing, especially if you've chosen one of the full SID descriptions to be played (San Francisco's PORTE3.AVE in this case).

By now you're probably wondering "Will we ever get this show on the road?" Yes, things start happening now. You complete your Before Start flow, call for the checklist (after indicating desired push-back duration and ending direction relative to the gate). The Ramp Agent will contact you and ask if you're ready for pushback. (Again, were a random delay were to occur you could choose the appropriate PA announcement from a Misc. PAs page; just click CPAL's 'P' (for "Public Address") button.) Release the parking brake and you'll be towed into taxi position. He'll ask you to reset the parking brake while you and the FO start the engines (he handles the starters; you position the start levers).

Now we've performed our After Start flow and Checklist. We bring up the Taxi page, call for our take-off flap setting, check that the area is clear and begin taxiing. (If we were experiencing icing conditions we would divert to the de-icing station at this point — that's another process offered in FS2Crew.) I call for the taxi PA briefing and perform our Taxi Checklist. When I start the takeoff flow by activating the AutoThrottle (a minute or so before reaching the hold line), the FO performs his before takeoff flow tasks and I call for the Before Takeoff Checklist 'to the line'. Once cleared for takeoff we complete the 'after the line' checklist.

The Before Takeoff / Takeoff/ After Takeoff page will be visible throughout our departure because it's used to call for (that is, to inform the FO) each flap retraction step — it's delightful to see that he also retracts the landing gear on schedule. After my flaps 0 call he'll read off the After Takeoff Checklist items. What I really enjoy about the First Officer's help during takeoff is that I can focus on the PFD's flight director bar and flap speed bugs; the FO "does the hunting" for the required controls and buttons without further attention from me. That's true of landings as well; we divide our work load so I (the Captain) am focused on target speeds while he handles the mechanical details. Not only is this division of labor realistic, I'm able to stay focused on the aircraft's speed, pitch attitude and direction without distraction, particularly when things are happening quickly!

Alternatively I could have had the First Officer perform the takeoff, and our roles would be changed accordingly. Or the takeoff could have been rejected had power been lost; the necessary actions are there on the BTO/TO/ATO page for those situations as well. Incidentally, you can remove this or almost any other FS2Crew page by simply clicking its title line; it can be retrieved by clicking CPAL's 'L' (for "last") button.

You respond to the FO's 'start levers off' call by confirming visually, then pressing the green response button. Note that setting these is one of the FO's tasks; indeed he's done his job (these were set at 'idle' when you first loaded the plane).

Notice that I've entered the duration and direction for pushback on the Before Start page.

Let's get into VC mode to watch our pushback progress.

We've started Engine #1; note that I've positioned its start lever to 'idle'; we'll start Engine #2 next.

You FO's always monitoring you; apply a little too much throttle and he'll say "Captain, breakaway thrust is excessive," or if you're taxiing too fast, he'll remind you "Captain, check the taxi speed."

I'll use this Before Takeoff / Takeoff / After Takeoff page page to call for flaps, activate Heading mode, engage the autopilot and LNAV (the VNAV task is handled automatically because I've included that in the Takeoff Briefing).

And so forth. By now you have a pretty good idea of what FS2Crew offers. Prior to start of descent (or later, if you're awaiting ATC notification as to runway assignment) you'll bring up the Approach Briefing page with which you initiate the Approach Briefing (which includes the STAR and, once the landing runway is known, the IAP briefing) and indicate the type of anticipated landing (who will be pilot flying, and pilot monitoring). You bring up the In Range page, perform its flow (including target landing speed and flap reference speed settings from calculated FMC data), and then call for its checklist. The FO will start his Approach flow at about 5,500 feet above the touch-down zone elevation (TDZE); you'll call for the Approach checklist after he makes his 'Flight attendants be seated" announcement (generally, by the time you join the Localizer).

Nearing the top-of-descent (TOD) I've brought up the Approach Briefing page. I'll be entering '3' in the STAR Selection box to cause the SADDE6 briefing to play when I click the 'STAR text' item during the actual FO approach briefing.

There are several landing options, which are handled in 'sub-pages': you can choose to perform a Precision ILS approach; a monitored Precision (autoland) or Non-precision approach, both with the FO flying; several types of timed Non-precision approaches (NDB, LOC, VOR, etc.); and a normal Visual Approach — each with various settings and buttons corresponding to the type of approach you've chosen. You'll also find Missed Approach sub-sections with their corresponding command buttons. Finally, you'll hear and respond to the Landing Checklist once you've called for Gear Down. Not only is your First Officer there to help with cockpit chores, he's monitoring approach parameters and will warn you of problems (glide-path deviation during an ILS approach, excessive cross-wind and the like).

To give you the flavor of what the approach and landing process feels like I've included selected (abridged) pages from FS2Crew's Tutorial documentation and the Main Operations manual: Non-Precision, Monitored (FO Flying) Approach and Landing (click to read). I selected these examples to demonstrate FS2Crew's high degree of interaction between you and your virtual First Officer as "he" flies and you (the 'pilot not flying') monitor the approach, set flaps at "his" command, lower the gear, etc.; as well as to illustrate the thoroughness of the provided documentation.

As mentioned above, you can click here for sample pages from FS2Crew's Tutorial documentation and Main Operations manual.

Printing

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Precision, Monitored (FO Flying) Approach and Landing


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