Ever since Richard Harvey said it actually isn't that hard to write a program where you can share a cockpit in Fly!II, that is I sit at my computer flying as FO and a friend at his computer flying as Captain in the same virtual cockpit, I've dreamt about it. Now I read at the avsim front page that gates.to are making this kind of utility for CoF and of course I'm starting to drool thinking of how fun that would be in a PMDG airplane. I realize that it's too late for the 737, but have you given any thought to having both pilot and co-pilot stations in the 747? I realize you can do it in VC but I'd rather have it in 2D too like Flightfactory has it in their Super King Air 200.gates.to writes that "Initially, you will be able to use this system with any default aircraft and/or any aircraft programmed as described in MSFS SDK" and I have no clue to what extent the PMDG products conform with the MSFS SDK (I barely know what SDK stands for).I suppose it's highly unlikely that you will design an airplane so that it fits just this single utility, but it's worth asking and it would certainly lift flight simming to a new dimension for me!

This is something that I have also been looking forward to. I wish that I had the skills and time to create something like this but sadly I do not. Unfortuately I am not going to be getting this version by gates.to, apparently this will contain adware / spyware! Please see this post http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho..._id=13467&page= I don't want anyone to get their hooks into my FS and push their advertising to me when I am trying to get away from the world! Sorry, isn't going to happen!Best Regards,Philip Olsonhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpg

Hello Krister,Thanks for your interest in our new gates.to/FSNet project!In plain English, the sentence from our site you are quoting means that the initial version of gates.to/FSNet will be able to share between two (or more) FS users the default instruments and controls of any aircraft.For instance, changes in the gears, flaps, throttle(s), etc. can be transmitted to the other PC(s) and kept in synch. On the other hand, custom instruments added to specific aircraft by individual vendors cannot be managed by gates.to/FSNet, unless their developers agree to tell FSNet something about them.Objectively, this is not likely to happen for some time, but might be an interesting and useful development, if FSNet will gain some acceptance among FS users.Anyway, I am confident that you will be able to use your favorite aircraft with FSNet, even if your co-pilot might not see each and every instrument exactly as you see them; but the basic ones, yes!___________________About the link to the other thread provided by Philip Olson, that thread contains several imprecisions and pure inventions (not to speak of plain and immotivated insults).We are going to post an official answer; the thread has been locked but we know AVSIM uprightness and we are sure it will be possible to answer this well orchestrated attack to a new name in the FS add-on market, even before any product could be evaluated (and criticized, if necessary).In the meantime, we invite any interested simulation fan to read the pages at our site and to evaluate directly what we are saying. Suggestions and criticisms, even deep but constructive, are welcome and can be posted to the forum on our site, where doubts can be answered promptly and extensively.We respect all opinions; we do not claim to have THE truth in our pockets and we are ready to change our plans following grounded and motivated objections; on the other hand, personal attacks based on (deliberated?) misunderstanding and preconceptions will be of no help.Best regards,

Dear Sirs,After having seen so many misunderstandings in thread #13467 we think it is time to clarify them all and once forever.Adware: paid / unpaid?The concept is that the program is either used for free with ads or paid for without ads.This was said in the gates.to site (and anybody could have read it), but apparently not clearly enough, so the texts are being rephrased in a more explicitly way; our thanks to the critics for highlitghing this communication deficency (if more obscure points remain, please let us know and we will try to further improve the descriptions).This concept seemed to us a decent way to allow everybody to use the program for free, still generating some income to support further development (and ourselves). It is adopted in many widely used programs, like Eudora, Opera and many download managers, apparently without great concerns from the users.The alternative is simple:

"I realize that it's too late for the 737, but have you given any thought to having both pilot and co-pilot stations in the 747?"I'm sure PMDG have considered this, but... Having F/O's instruments which are identical to the Captain's (except they are in different positions) would be relatively simple, but in an airplane as complex as PMDG's with a fully modelled electrical system, it would be much harder. Each LCD/CRT display has different power sources. For example, the captain's instruments may appear with only Battery/Standby Power available, but, in many cases, the F/O's will not appear. More important than this is the fact that each and every item (speed, attitude, etc) on the displays may have different power and data sources. The F/O's gauges will have to be programmed differently to reflect this.It may be difficult for the average simmer to understand why the Captain's instruments should show one thing... and the F/O's another (or nothing at all).Hope this helps.Cheers.Ian.