I'm wading my way through Ralph's Ready For Pushback V2. Very, VERY interesting, to say the least, which has whetted my appetite for the PMDG version.I was just wondering how similar (or different) the -400 is to the -200 (checklist and startup sequence-wise). I do realize that the -400 is probably closer to the 777 since the flight engineer's job has been moved to the overhead panel and steam v/s glass aside, I would appreciate some knowledgeable soul's input on the differences we can expect between RFP and PMDG.Cheers,:-beerchug Tony

Not knowing any details about the PMDG 744, the differences are indeed as you put it that basically all of the engineers hands-on work is now automated. All indicators are moved to the EICAS system and very little fiddling with knobs is required. A bit of a generalization, but with the 744 you more or less turn on everything as you prep for takeoff. During the flight you turn off a few fuel pumps when prompted and that

Looking forward to seeing them.

Hi Tony,Did you buy Ralph's plane?I've only looked at the manuals, which seem very nicely done, indeed!BR,Frank

Hi there, Frank!Sorry about the late response but "real life" DOES have an irritating habit of getting in the way of one's simming :-hah Yes, I have bought Ready for Pushback V2 and I'm _still_ wading through the startup sequences and flows. I haven't yet had the time to read through the INS programming and use (which should be really interesting considering that a lot of airlines still have the -200 in service). If I'm not mistaken the -200's INS can only hold a limited number of waypoints in memory which means (I'm guessing here) that one would have to be constantly inputting new data on a long trip.Gives you a sense of how hard the guys up front have to work ;) My opinion? If you can afford it, buy it!One last point: Eyecandy-wise I was surprised to see that Ralph has included the top passenger deck as well as the First and Business-class sections with left/right wing views from both.Cheers,Tony

""real life" DOES have an irritating habit of getting in the way of one's simming :-hah" Roger that, Tony. :-)Yes, the early version of the INS holds only 9 waypoints, so you have to re-program periodically. The upgraded version holds up to 99 waypoints(I R'ed TFM! :-)).I'm all for eyecandy! I want the systems modelling first, but if the eyecandy can then be squeezed in without too much adverse effect, I'm happy!Good luck with mastering the -200, Tony.BR,Frank

I've had the RFP 747-200 for a couple years and it is indeed one of the most complex and satisfying aircraft produced that offer the realism of the 'old-style' steamgauge aircraft. You really have to read the manuals and fly this one on the numbers. It can get ahead of you in many ways and you don't have the benefit of a nice ND to keep you oriented.It is well worth the investment and the flight model and functionality are unsurpassed.Regards & good luck.jack