Reminds me of another photo:BTW, where are the rudder pedals in your shot? Or did you turn them off to check the texture behind them?Nick Botica

Great capture !

... there were Polaroid backs that you could attach to your camera...

I never knew that! I deal with a lot of radiography in my work so I always pictured a mobile dark room for running the test shots.

I'll let Rob answer in more detail, but he flew BAe JS4100s as captain for ACA/United. More recently, he was type rated in a Boeing 747-400. Currently he isn't flying for a living (by choice), but does enjoy flying his SNJ/T-6 Texan.Many members of the PMDG team have some flying experience. I have certificates as commercial SEL and MEL, and was a CFI SEL . I instructed quite a few to reach their dream of becoming a private pilot. I know Henning flies every opportunity he has. I'll let the rest of the team answer for themselves, but suffice it to say, we bring a lot of real-world aviation experience and expertise to our products.

Hello Vin,This is very fascinating to me. I'm sure many simmers, like myself, never sat in a cockpit except behind our computers and just have a high regard for those who have chosen this field. With my hard "learning curves", even in the flight sim, I know I would never survive as a pilot.I was recently very honored to have a retired commercial airline pilot who is a serious simmer and whom I met in the forums, come and visit me for a day and show me some things on the flight sim that I would never have otherwise known. He is able to ride the jump-seats of airlines for free, so it wasn't a big deal for him, but was a thrill for me that I will not forget.I enjoy my profession very much, but know I will never actually experience being a pilot. Flight simulation is a way for me to have a peek at a world that I would normally never be a part of, other than seeing a big impressive 747 flying low on an approach over my house once in a while, when the wind direction is right.It would be great to have a page on the PMDG website that would tell about the flying careers of members of the PMDG team and their experience. I know that, because we enjoy the PMDG simulations so much, we all feel a connection to the PMDG team and would find it very interesting.Thanks,Bob

- that is a remarkable! Nice touch with the pic!

I never knew that! I deal with a lot of radiography in my work so I always pictured a mobile dark room for running the test shots.

That would have been difficult since the photographs were usually done on color transparency film - most often an E-6 like Ektachrome or in some cases Fuji Velvia. That's easier to handle than Kodachrome but still difficult and time-consuming to manage in a mobile setting.The Polaroid back people used was the Forscher Pro Back, built by Marty Forscher of Professional Camera Repair in New York City. They were handmade and looked it, but got the job done. You'd get a contact-sized 35mm image on a much bigger sheet of Polaroid film (later he figured out a way to get multiple images on one sheet) but it was enough to check lighting and exposure. Then you'd snap off the back, snap on the regular back, load with film and shoot. The shoot itself took just a few minutes - after several hours of setup and testing.There are pictures of the Forscher backs here, and this is a nice tribute to Forscher. He meant a lot to photographers. In the digital era there aren't as many people like that. But I have to admit the testing is much easier - just do a full-sized print in a couple of mintues, check the results, adjust and keep shooting. Not colorful... but a lot more efficient.Sorry to have hijacked the thread a bit but I got nostalgic for my corporate photography days...

I made just about the same picture myself a couple of months back, only I did zoom in a tad more.To enlighten you on how it's done(or at least... how I did it):I put my camera on the back of the pedestal, One flash on top, aimed over my head and back into the ceiling (behind the aft overhead panel).I chose a slow shutter speed (1/40 in this case), and set up flash sync at rear-curtain (the flash fires at the END of the 1/40, not the beginning). A lot of decent party pictures are made like that too (although it is a lot easier to use front curtain sync when you have a subject that moves a lot more.).So no, an extra strobe is not needed to illuminate the throttle handles.I have to admit, if I had zoomed out more, I would have placed two strobes behind the seats(on the ground, pointing up, this is called bouncing), to get an evenly lit flight deck.More pictures on Flickr (www.flickr.com/krivadesign)

I'll let Rob answer in more detail, but he flew BAe JS4100s as captain for ACA/United. More recently, he was type rated in a Boeing 747-400. Currently he isn't flying for a living (by choice), but does enjoy flying his SNJ/T-6 Texan.Many members of the PMDG team have some flying experience. I have certificates as commercial SEL and MEL, and was a CFI SEL . I instructed quite a few to reach their dream of becoming a private pilot. I know Henning flies every opportunity he has. I'll let the rest of the team answer for themselves, but suffice it to say, we bring a lot of real-world aviation experience and expertise to our products.

how about you? I quite interested in the teams real flight experience. Oh and Ryan to

Hey Ethan,My hearing loss is classified as Profound Hearing Loss. I had this since I was born however with the help of hearing-aids I've been able to hear what the world sounds like, infact I am due for a new set of hearing aids and there's this bluetooth enabled hearing aids that's caught my fancy but $$$$ yikes. Although my first language is english, I'm also fluent in sign language and have no difficulty speaking with others :-)Anyway thats cool that there's somebody on the forum who has been involved in hearing testing and the likes! I've been in and out of the booth many times over the last 30 years, I even ask them to set up the M&M dispenser that dispenses an M&M whenever I passed a hearing test. Just a childhood thing of mine and takes the boredom out of the testing lol!

I had a cochlear implant (a.k.a. bionic ear) surgically installed in my right ear five years ago in Sydney, Australia at which point my hearing loss in that ear was classified as severe/profound. I have never had any hearing in my left ear since birth, destroying my dreams of becoming an airline (Qantas) or military pilot (Royal Australian Air Force or Navy). Having said that, while disappointing, my hearing is incredibly better thanks to the wonderful technology contained inside my Australian-built cochlear implant. With regard to sign language, as I've always been able to converse vocally without a problem (my right ear hearing level was pretty good but not perfect when I went through school as a kid) and so I've never really learned sign language (Auslan) properly. I do have a dream of one day becoming the first hearing impaired person with a cochlear implant to fly solo around the world (the real world, that is)!

Great capture !

So many labels in that cockpit that I'm suprised Boeing didn't put a sticker under the "PARKING BRAKE LIGHT" label which said, "PARKING BRAKE LIGHT LABEL" with an arrow pointing up!

In a thread a few days ago, Al was talking about the trains that carry Boeing parts from KS to WA. Well a tornado when right across a Boeing train containing 737 fuselages, and 747-8 wings. Article and video: http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Tornado_Hits_Train_Carrying_Boeing_Parts_204863-1.htmlI owe this to Zite. It's a free iPad app, and as I said before, I highly recommend it.

I made just about the same picture myself a couple of months back, only I did zoom in a tad more.

KriVa -Good shot. And yes, you're right - the red parking brake light is enough to illuminate the throttle handles. Your shot makes it clearer.In the other shot, the flash is above the camera and to the left, over the pilot's seat. And it's not bounced - it's direct, and probably not diffused much if at all, judging by the harsh shadow of the yoke.I like rear-curtain sync - in a party setting, you get good motion blur behind (not ahead of) the subject.It's nice to see good craftsmanship - sort of a rarity these days.

1) I will continue to make decisions in the best interest of the product without regard to anyone's feelings.2) I will continue to communicate those decisions as, and when I see fit.3) If any of this is bothersome to you, I am sorry- but this is the way good products are developed.

+2,I am certain the team at PMDG feel like William Shatner with the infamous "Get a life" speech! http://www.dailymoti...-1986-12-20_fun @ 3:52I am certain that you are all eager to push this bird out of the hanger! What a stunning pic btw!

Thanks for the update Robert! I was actually in a Qantas 737-800 cockpit after a flight a couple of hours ago- and the NGX looks just like it. Can't wait to fly it!

Can't wait to program the RNAV approach into Innsbruck that, I'm proud to say, my airline built....Martin Bunjes

Can't wait to program the RNAV approach into Innsbruck that, I'm proud to say, my airline built....Martin Bunjes

Would appreciate it if you could share that (the RNAV waypoints) with us. :(