I'm new...help with free flights?

[Guest dpakman91]

I'm pretty new to simulators, and have been working through the lessens and missions on FSX for a little while. MY question is about the best way to fly "free flights" between airports...I am able to get set up with the "from" and "to" airports, and went through the documentation about creating a route with waypoints and such. However, is there any way to get things programmed into the mission direction bug that shows up in the upper left during missions and/or get set up with approach direction headings and such like you do during missions from your copilot? It ends up being kinda boring just showing up at the airport and not knowing how to go downwind/final/etc as i follow the gps...also, is the only way to do the free flights to basically just follow the gps? it seems i must be missing SOMETHING that makes the free flights more interesting and fun...

[kingm56 1,023]

also, is the only way to do the free flights to basically just follow the gps? it seems i must be missing SOMETHING that makes the free flights more interesting and fun... Indeed...if you're interested in "free flights" I would strongly suggest joining a virtual airliner. Try: www.deltava.org They have about 2,500 active pilots, both real and virtual, that can assist with fostering your flight sim experience.

[lliaudais 2]

What makes FSX (and FS9 before it) so interesting is the VARIETY of things to focus on. If you like the 'big iron' airliners, most of your skills will be toward flightplans, routes and procedures. If you like VFR (as I do) you find something interesting in your area and go explore it. This, to me, means a little geographic research. You didn't say where you are located or where you like to fly, but consider looking for famous landmarks, major highways and roads, Rivers, towns etc. Use the online map services and see what is there in the real world and then go there in the sim, comparing the sim to the real. Google "scenic drives" and fly along some of those routes. One curious encounter recently... I noticed what looked like a crater in the sim - searched online and found that it realy was!Another favorite pastime for as long as there have been AI... pick an AC just taking off from some airport and follow him to his destination. Then follow the next AC that leaves from that airport and see where he goes.Fly to each of the airports in your state, region, province, or country. You get awards for numbers of different airports landed at also; and for hours flown.The only limit is your imagination.Loyd

[Jimmy Angel 19]

FSX can feel a little bit aimless. You might consider learning to navigate via VOR and other methods (such as dead reckoning). This will give you some insight into how pilots navigated prior to GPS's (and how, indeed, many still navigate today). It will also tend to keep you busy in the air. In terms of what to do when reaching your destination, there is basic procedures which define how you enter the traffic pattern at an airport and what runway you land on. Airports with a control tower can tell you which runway is active. The direction of the wind will define which runway to use at uncontrolled airports. There's lots of resources you can find online to help you learn this, and I belive the tutorials in FSX will also shed some light.Then comes IFR flight, where you navigate strictly via the instruments. You can utilize FSX's ATC to help direct you to the airports and to the active runway. Just create an IFR flight plan, register the plan with ATC before taking off, and then fly your route. ATC will set you up to intercept the proper course for the active runway at your destination.Learning to fy and navigate using real-world procedures (or at least as close as FSX will allow) can be fun and give you a sense of accomplishment. Perhaps consider staying in the light planes for now, such as the default C172 trainer, in order to avoid getting frustrated. There's a ton of resources online which can be found via google searches, and the folks here are always happy to help.Once you've got the basics down, you might consider joining everyone at FS Economy. This is a community of FS9 and FSX users who earn virtual cash by picking up assignments. As you earn money, you can buy planes, start a business, open an FBO, etc. If just flying from point-to-point doesn't really thrill you, something like this adds a purpose to your flying which can be a lot of fun. Best of all, it's free.And, customizing FSX is a challenge unto itself. There's a ton of freeware and payware planes, scenery, etc. If you're looking for anything in particular, a search of these forums will usually generate a bunch of recommendations. What area do you fly in?Good luck.

[Guest]

However, is there any way to get things programmed into the mission direction bug that shows up in the upper left during missions

No, you can't get that with 'free flights'.

get set up with approach direction headings and such like you do during missions from your copilot?

Work with ATC! It's no co pilot (no chatter and extra information and exciting adventures), but ATC will guide you all the way to the landing runway. The ATC isn't that good (it lets you fly all over the place) but at least you've got something to focus on.In the end... flying is as boring as you make it. I mean, you are at airfield A and you fly to airfield B and that's it, really... If you do just that, it IS quite boring indeed. But you can focus on learning the ins and outs of navigating (for instance using VORs instead of just following the GPS), you can focus on aircraft systems (if you don't want to buy addon aircraft right away, try to get to grips with an airplane that uses the G1000: learning to use that thing is a game of its own!), you can focus on the scenery (fly VFR without a real destination and simply enjoy the view), etc. etc. There is only one person wh can make FSX interesting for you, and that's yourself! FSX has a lot of depth but you've got to find it... and appreciate it... It's not a 'game' for everyone, of course.EDIT:Ah, Jimmy already posted some similar tips while I was typing... ;)

[Christopher Low 5,332]

I mean, you are at airfield A and you fly to airfield B and that's it, really

That's why decent addon scenery and interactive ATC is an absolute must for VFR flights. I have only just purchased FSX, but I enjoyed interacting with ATC in Flight Unlimited 3. In fact, taxiing from the parking spot to the runway threshold, waiting to cross active runways, holding short at the runway threshold to allow another plane to land....that's all part of the fun IMO. As far as landing is concerned, I prefer to join the pattern. I never use autopilots or ILS systems to land, since I prefer hand flying. Of course, the latter is rather more difficult with an airliner than it is with a Beechcraft Baron, but I'm more interested in low level VFR flights than boring ten hour cruises at FL350!

[Guest PPSFA]

One sure way to fix any boredom problem you might have is to join a 'multiplayer' session. You will meet people from all over the world and learn things you didn't know you didn't know. The group I fly with are from South Africa, Netherlands, USA, Turkey, Australia, and other countries. When someone new joins our group they are required to make a flight that shows us their home area. With voice comms, (we use Teamspeak), we get to hear all the details about their home airport, city, country etc. The combination of the internet, FS, and voice comms opens up the entire world to you in a way that is simply unavailable to non multiplayer users, take advantage of it.

[gman! 1]

Well its seems like what your asking by mission compass and airport direction and being able to find approaches that you want something like Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) that is on the Garmin G1000, which helps you navigate easily when new. I forgot exactly where it is in Flight Simulator, but I think the option is in the "Views" menu. To get this option (visual makers) to help you follow your flight path and it will give you options of using the clear green boxes you see in missions or a "yellow brick road" or light poles and some other things. It will also let set the altitude you want this visual aids to be at and if you want these aids to be set by the Nav1 radio etc. There are also some different things you can do to help you learn how to navigate.The BEST way and I mean BEST way to learn a lot about flight simulator is to go into the "Learning Center" and then going into i think it is the "Lessons?" section. Make sure you see something with a bio on Rod Machado (creator of the lessons) to make sure you are in the right place. You should start from Lesson 1 and keep moving forward. Each lesson has a write up (which I recommend you print) to help you learn and then at the bottom of the write up there will be an option to fly a lesson. Make sure you do not pause or go into any menus because if I did this the lesson would mess up for some reason. These lessons will help you very much overall and will teach you the basic things you need to know and they are interactive with lots of chatter from Rod Machado. Tell your friends that play on the FSX multiplayer about this too! This will help them learn how to set airports, VORs, Intersections, etc. in the GPS and it will help them learn how to tune and use VORs. This way when you are flying and you say you are tuning the "someplace" VOR they are not lost! :(

[Paul J 349]

MY question is about the best way to fly "free flights" between airports...I am able to get set up with the "from" and "to" airports, and went through the documentation about creating a route with waypoints and such. It ends up being kinda boring just showing up at the airport and not knowing how to go downwind/final/etc as i follow the gps...also, is the only way to do the free flights to basically just follow the gps? it seems i must be missing SOMETHING that makes the free flights more interesting and fun...

No "best way" to free fly: as you can see - everyone is different, and dependent upon their mood they might want a different experience occasionally... Here's my recipe for an hour of "fun": first, watch this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHGyFz0BtLs...=1&index=24Then - follow this link and read the Wikipedia stuff..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avjet_Aspen_Crash and then the actual accident report:-http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2002/AAB0203.pdfThen you go to Aerosoft and purchase (about 15 euros) Aspen X. I think there's an update, too.), followed by a trip to Eaglesoft, and pickup one of their nice bizjets: (I have the Citation II)My "quick" flight consists of building and flying a flight plan from KDEN (it's quicker than from LAX) to KASE - sometime in the late afternoon/early evening... in the Winter... with ASA (or real) weather... You can do a nice VOR-VOR IFR flight using the stock ATC; it takes about an hour... and you'll be sweating when it's over. :( Have fun!

[jostytosty 1]

Then you go to Aerosoft and purchase (about 15 euros) Aspen X. I think there's an update, too.), followed by a trip to Eaglesoft, and pickup one of their nice bizjets: (I have the Citation II)Have fun!

Actually the last line is the most correct one: have fun! But there's really no need in buying anything (yet) :( Just browse the files of this great AVSIM site and have a pick of nice things to fly to, or to fly with... Try to find out whether you enjoy flying "heavy metal"smaller pieces of metal or maybe just an old prop. I enjoy flying to mountains. Carefully manouver trough valleys to an just downloaded airport. Taking a look at the charts and figure out what is the best and most correct way to get to the airport without hitting something. Free flight can really be Free if you want to. Just take off and fly, and land at a proper place to land before fuel runs out. If you should consider buying anything, consider buying the book FSX for Real Pilots, and fly all the flights that are in there. When you finnaly finished to book you'll be a good pilot and you'll know what you really like to do in the simulated world. But remember to have fun! :(

[Guest rdg]

Here is a good website to learn different types of navigationhttp://www.navfltsm.addr.com/index.htmBob G

[nooon 21]

Right now, create a flight plan within MS FSX, and have fun following it using GPS and the builtin Boeing 737, and MS ATC.Once you are BORED :If you want to experiment the heavy duties, have a look at Level-D Boeing 767, or PMDG ones, and learn to fly 'em along with their tutorials.And in few months why not try this promising Airsimmer's A320.You will need a good flight planner, like FSCommander or FSBuild.

[beatle 0]

However, is there any way to get things programmed into the mission direction bug that shows up in the upper left during missions and/or get set up with approach direction headings and such like you do during missions from your copilot?

I believe you can create missions like this using either FSXME (Keir's FSX Mission Editor) or the other mission editing program that was recently released but I can't remember the name of (anybody?). Basically, you provide the airports (and maybe a full flight plan, never actually used either program), and then it generates a mission based on that flight.Tim