does microsoft ever plan on actually fixing the issue of standing aircraft on the ground with their parking brake set and idling engines to actually remain still? going through a pre-flight checklist in the multi-ton 737 at the ramp with its engines idling and the mere 10 knot wind seems to be slowly pushing me to the side (or wherever the wind is blowing).comeon guys, we appreciate the new features added since 1995, but working out some, rather persistent bugs wouldn't hurt./rant over.

I would be the first to say I love flight simulator 2004, I think it's fantastic. However, the ONE thing which does annoy me is that on some aircraft for whatever reason when the engine is on idle and the parking brake is on the aircraft slowly drift forward!!!I'm with you on that one. I wonder what causes it??James

I know this happens with the turboprops but I believe this affects the jets also. This happens because even though the throttle may seem to be in the idle position, it's not completely there. The pay version of FSUIPC has a fix for this. I don't know whether it'll fix it with the jets.

I don't think he's referring to aircraft creeping foreward because because of improper idle settings, but rather a/c drifting sideways on the ground due to wind. The proper use if idle settings and alpha setting has been explained here very well in the last few days and generally is a true representation of the real aircraft. The sideways drift is not realistic but a flaw in Flight Simulator itself, and I've never come accross a solution. So, I don't have an answer to the origional question.David

I have to admit that I don't think I've ever seen this problem in my FS. However, I know that FSUIPC has an option to turn off wind when your wheels are on the ground, which sounds like it might fix this problem. As soon as your wheels leave terra firma the winds kick in, so you need to anticipate crosswinds, but at least it might stop what sounds like an annoying problem. I don't know if the free version of FSUIPC offers this control or not, but it's definitely there in my paid version.thanks,

Sacrilege!To claim that something is NOT the fault of Microsoft, how DARE you!

I thought this was one of the things that was fixed in 2004 from fs2002? I know this was/is a problem in fs2002 that you fixed with the taxi wind option in FSUIPC. As someone else said, it might be the idle settings on the aircraft.

It apparently has not been fixed. I have only noticed the aircraft drift forward once the engines are turned on. It's fairly easy to detect the drift if you're standing parked at the terminal with the building right in front of you. As soon as I turn the engines on and keep them in idle the airplane starts slowly drifting forward. If there are strong winds 10-20 knots on the surface, this drift becomes more apparent. As I go through the pre flight checklist I often have to engage PUSHBACK to back the airplane up to its position before it slowly crashes into the terminal building. Those are big wheels with plenty of rubber on the 737, and once the parking brake is engaged, idling engines hardly have the power to overcome the friction of wheels and ground.I could understand how a Skyhawk would drift on the ground with some 40 knot stormy surface winds, but a multi-ton beast like the 737 should remain dead still.

Yea I noticed this too. I landed my Delta 757 at KSNA and taxied off the runway to taxi way to the terminal and stopped before the terminal. I went into the other room for 20min or so and found myself west about 10 miles away from the airport in a gulley. It was really funny. I do say this should be fixed.

Even with the ground winds fix in FSUIPC disabled, I've never had a plane drifting sideways or backwards due to wind in FS2004 (that I can remember, anyway).... However, I parked the C4SST at London Heathrow, and just happened to be parked facing into the wind, and the wind was pushing me backwards....Seems like the same issue as having to crab into the wind while flat on the runway (or is that slip? I can never get the 2 different styles of correcting for a crosswind straight... :-lol).. Real world, that would blow out the tires easily... I landed once in a crosswind, and ended up skidding around like a car on an icy road... :-lolThe only somewhat-related issue I get in fs9 is with the default dc-3 very slowly drifting forward at idle with brakes or parking brakes set...

>Yea I noticed this too. I landed my Delta 757 at KSNA and>taxied off the runway to taxi way to the terminal and stopped>before the terminal. I went into the other room for 20min or>so and found myself west about 10 miles away from the airport>in a gulley. It was really funny. I do say this should be>fixed.My "stock" 737 didn't get that far. Only about 10' in twenty minutes.Bummer.....L.Adamson

Same thing with the 717 or MD83 which I usually have as my default startup aircraft. I assumed that everything did this, but have not compared planes. I didn't realize that some creeped farther than others. With any aircraft I have tried, which are many excluding default aircraft which I never use, I find this creeping forward to be an issue. (i.e. MelJet 747's and 777's, Citation, Gulfstream, Falcon 50, A340-300, Concord etc.) In VatSim flights, I usually have my engines running before pushback just to save confusion and time for AVC communication. I have found that by the time I go through the steps of setting up the VatSim flight, the nose of my aircraft is near, or inside the terminal (or if I am slow, on the other side of the terminal). The creep is so slow that it is not noticable as long as one is watching the aircraft in the spot plane view, but it is moving. Periodic slewing back to the starting position is the only solution I know.I agree, this is something that Mr. Gates should remedy, whether you call it a bug or a simple nusience.

Actually, after much scientific experimentation & drawing a big circle around my plane with a black "magic marker"............... I realized that the plane "doesn't" move at all! It's the ground around it that moves!! Creepy!!!!! :)L.Adamson

In the days of FS98 it was awful ...... a 25kt wind would physically turn a 747 around!!!I've owned FS2002 for 2 1/2 years and I've never known a plane to move in the wind!! :) All medium-to-large planes are fine in FS2002 ... even with 40-60Kt winds.

Actually, with some exceptions, your plane doesn't move, but stays in one place while the world moves by. If you go to spot view your A/C stays in the center of the screen no matter what angle you look at it from. Same with tower view. In the 2d panel view the panel just sits there and what you see through the windscreen moves, even if you pan the view! Of course if you pan in the virtual cockpit view then the panel moves. Even in FPS games your weapon aiming point is fixed, usually right in the center of the screen. I used to "cheat" by making a crosshairs from two thin strips of masking tape stuck to the center of the screen. Gives you an instant advantage over most other players. I'm just trying to point out how an amazingly real sensation of movement can be created when everything around you is moving but you aren't. Motion is all realtive.DavidPS If you've never experienced the padlock view that most combat flight simulators offer you're really missing out on how "real it can get".