Greetings, I see posts on this forum asking the folks at Precision Manuals when is the NGX being released?, I think they should make a triple seven next! This post is not a negative one at all and if is taken that way then I say "sorry" in advance. My point is there are so many first class aircraft PMDG offers for FS9 and FSX that if you spend more time at the yoke instead of pushing VNAV, Autoflight, PROF and all the other automated flight buttons available you can have a much more enjoyable experience with the aircraft you have now. I have been flying since the Sub - Logic days when Flight Simulation began, have accumlated thousands upon thousands of hours (I do not have a any record since I have re-installed Flight Simulator many times) and I say I can I never used the autoland once. I am not a real pilot, but a real armchair pilot and I hit pause to get a bowl of ice cream, and even run errands while my awsome MD-11 or 747 is crossing the pond and then HAND FLY a CAT III approach. Did anyone know FED-EX recommended to their MD-11 pilots to hand fly the aircraft to cruising altitude to ge better aquainted to the handleing. I find flying a SID by hand in a fully loaded heavy a real challenge. And on approach, hey we only have one pilot in the cockpit and the workload gets kicked up a few notches, have the auto pilot follow the localizer while you configure the aircraft to land and when you are stabilized take the controls and enjoy. I live under the approach path for a major Southwest hub, you don't think I want an NGX now? I will anxiously wait but right now its on to KMIA on board my? lets see........ MD-11F it is. Captain MikeFSX PMDG 747, MD-11, J41FS9 PMDG B1900, 737, 747, MD-11

There have been tons of these posts saying people want the 777 and it seems like every day there is a new one. The dev team already knows that it is a plane the public would like to see them develop. However, the plan has already been publicly announced. Perhaps they will make a 777 in the future, but it won't be before the 737 NGX/NG2.0 and Dash 8. If you like planes with a challange, try the new PMDG JS4100. This is not a plane you'll be able to hop in and fly. This is much more complicated than any boeing or airbus.Chad

Hey mike,While I agree with pretty much everything you have said I don't think FS is anywhere realistic enough to simulate handflying. personally I use it as a systems trainer which is why I prefer the heavys. Now I know there are a few real world pilots on here, my real world flying consists of flying curcuits around Biggin hill a couple of times a month and maybe a total of 20 hours flying a LevelD Tristar/ A340 & 767 sim when I was in my 20's, so not a lot in the grand scheme of things. However despite spending huge amount on Hardware & software and basically turning my spare room into giant simulator. It doesn't feel or handle the same as the real thing. Even million $ Level-D sims cant fully replicate.But anyway each to there own, hand flying these aircraft in FS can be fun but I don't think we can learn anything, In my case when I started my PPL I had to unlearn quite a bit.RegardsRob

While flight simulation on a PC is limited, I found that handflying the sim IMC was a good exercise for instrument scan. The MSFS stuff is not up to snuff, so for years I used a simulation called On-Top, which was a pretty good PC-based instrument simulator without the scenery eye-candy. Then I discovered the PMDG 737NG and really liked it for instrument work; although I only fly piston twins real world and not jets some of the instrument work is very similar, or so it seems to me.

While flight simulation on a PC is limited, I found that handflying the sim IMC was a good exercise for instrument scan. The MSFS stuff is not up to snuff, so for years I used a simulation called On-Top, which was a pretty good PC-based instrument simulator without the scenery eye-candy. Then I discovered the PMDG 737NG and really liked it for instrument work; although I only fly piston twins real world and not jets some of the instrument work is very similar, or so it seems to me.

Agreed. Instrument scan can be improved by a bit of PC sim work. The caveat is that most of my IMC is en route and not approaches, so its not as smooth as my office chair. Every actual approach to minimums I've ever made has been very smooth, so I find the sim better for approach scan. Unless PMDG develops a chair bouner, the en route stuff isn't very realistic, IMHO.

but I don't think we can learn anything, In my case when I started my PPL I had to unlearn quite a bit.

If you flew a default MS aircraft that could have been a case. But some aircraft are extraordinarily well done - I mention only Aeroworx's King Air or Flight1's Cessna. No, I would not recommend practicing stall recovery in them or other maneuvers that are close to the boundary of flying envelope but nevertheless I find them good enough to practice for example typical pattern flying .... (I am PPSEL).

There is still very good value to be had by flying the larger aircraft trough the autoplilot.Its often harder to think how to make the aircraft do what you want by using the right autopilot mode rather than just by turning the yoke. The PMDG has been very usefull recently to practice new real world LNAV/VNAV approaches and RNAV procedures as these are modelled well in the FMC.I fly using a 32" LCD tv and so find it possible to have good sized PFD displays which can offer good hand flown ILS practice, the flight model of the 747 when hand flown feels surprisingly realistic. To try and retain some old round dial intrument skills I use the realair duke, which is great for IFR work.CheersJon

While flight simulation on a PC is limited, I found that handflying the sim IMC was a good exercise for instrument scan. The MSFS stuff is not up to snuff, so for years I used a simulation called On-Top, which was a pretty good PC-based instrument simulator without the scenery eye-candy. Then I discovered the PMDG 737NG and really liked it for instrument work; although I only fly piston twins real world and not jets some of the instrument work is very similar, or so it seems to me.

I agree with Dan, FS definitely adds another tool for me in helping keep my instrument skills polished. I also like to add VATSIM in to the mix. The combination of IMC, radios, instrument procedures and cockpit workload is good practice in between r/w flights.

I agree with Dan, FS definitely adds another tool for me in helping keep my instrument skills polished. I also like to add VATSIM in to the mix. The combination of IMC, radios, instrument procedures and cockpit workload is good practice in between r/w flights.

For better or worse, as a resident of the DC ADIZ, my radio skills never get rusty... :(

hand flying these aircraft in FS can be fun but I don't think we can learn anything

Flight simulation isn't exclusively about learning.

Flight simulation isn't exclusively about learning.

Hence why i said "hand flying these aircraft in FS can be fun" Unlike real world pilots I think most of us here get a big grin on our faces when we check the arrival weather and it reads winds 030 20kts gusting to 35kts heavy rain and visibility 2 miles. Nothing better then hand flying a aircraft to a stable but firm touchdown at MLW at your crosswind limit. Did I learn anything that would benefit my real world flying? nope.. did I have have a lot of fun? damn right! But for me that's when FS stops being a in-depth simulator and back to a game. The reason I enjoy PMDG products so much is the extreme high fidelity of there system's simulation, I plan to pay out of my own pocket for a type rating on the 747-400 or A3XX within the next 3 years however I don't ever plan on flying commercially, with the help of PMDG & Aerowinx PS1 I can test my system knowledge in a realistic environment.RegardsRob

hello everyone, while on this subject of flying your aircraft can someone please help with this query. i try and vary flying procedures by trying VOR and NDBs the problem is finding the correct angle and degree of turn required. for example, EGPF (glasgow) VOR RW05 115.4 has an outbound course heading 200 at 3000ft for 10dme, thereafter a turn to 043 for inbound approach to RW05. how do you calculate the degree of turn from 200 to 043 accurately without wandering all over the place. many thanks in advance for any answers. richard welsh

Hey Rob, did you win the National Lottery or something? :(Cool to be able to pay for a commercial type rating and not need to fly commercially... I am guessing here, but don't you need the appropriate licence to be able to type rate in something like the 744 or A32X?Andrew

Hey Rob, did you win the National Lottery or something? :(Cool to be able to pay for a commercial type rating and not need to fly commercially... I am guessing here, but don't you need the appropriate licence to be able to type rate in something like the 744 or A32X?Andrew

He only needs a PPL to add that type rating to.Steve W.

He only needs a PPL to add that type rating to.Steve W.

No I haven't won the Lottery :( Prices seem to range between