Good luck on that heading knob assignment.

Lol... yeah, I think I'll need it, considering dozens of people were pushing for this in the 727 and it never emerged....!I think CS are a bit like Carenado in the fact that there are some areas of their production technique or knowledge that they just refuse to push beyond. Thus, (some will strongly disagree with this), both of those developers can have an aspect of "samey-ness" to their releases. Where they release very different planes in succession, but that all seem to feel a little similar to operate in FSX.

Lol... yeah, I think I'll need it, considering dozens of people were pushing for this in the 727 and it never emerged....!I think CS are a bit like Carenado in the fact that there are some areas of their production technique or knowledge that they just refuse to push beyond. Thus, (some will strongly disagree with this), both of those developers can have an aspect of "samey-ness" to their releases. Where they release very different planes in succession, but that all seem to feel a little similar to operate in FSX.

Yeah. I can definitely see what you're saying there. Thankfully, Carenado is slowly but surely coming around in the flight dynamics department. But enough of our hijack!

:(, yeah, back on the CS 732:BTW..... I notice there is no INS or GPS in this aircraft. I added a [Window] to the panel.cfg with the default FSX GPS500, but notice that the AP will not follow the FS flight plan, even if a key is assinged to the GPS/NAV 'switch' in FSX, and switched to GPS.........is tuning VORs really the only form of navigating we'll have in this 732 ?

:(, yeah, back on the CS 732:BTW..... I notice there is no INS or GPS in this aircraft. I added a [Window] to the panel.cfg with the default FSX GPS500, but notice that the AP will not follow the FS flight plan, even if a key is assinged to the GPS/NAV 'switch' in FSX and switched to GPS.........is tuning VORs really the only form of navigating we've got in this 732 ?

Yes, and it's accurate for these old buzzards! The early -200s couldn't fit the typical control panel ("CDU") onto the pedestal because of it's narrow design. I know the Piedmont/USAir -200s never had anything besides VOR and NDB navigation for the entirety of their service. Good thing all NDB and VOR stations work in FSX.I'm sure the addition of the old CIVA unit wouldn't be too hard.

Basically.... yes. Some were retrofitted later with INS (and a Sperry177 on the ADV version). That's what makes this A/C so nice to fly - No electronics, just you and the machine. Awesome.

Yes, and it's accurate for these old buzzards! The early -200s couldn't fit the typical control panel ("CDU") onto the pedestal because of it's narrow design. I know the Piedmont/USAir -200s never had anything besides VOR and NDB navigation for the entirety of their service. Good thing all NDB and VOR stations work in FSX.I'm sure the addition of the old CIVA unit wouldn't be too hard.

Totally get what you're saying..... but in my mind, my -200 was going to be an Alaskan bird, and for the last decade of operation they used duel GPS systems, accessed through a rudimentary CDU. :( .... Not having the ability to even fly a loaded FS flight plan could be a bit restricting for the plane in every day use. Don't get me wrong, I flew 1000s of miles in the Dreamfleet 727 in FS9 tuning VORs, but it wasn't what I had planned for this bird.... as a larger % of 732s were outfitted with some form of area nav, later in their service lives.I'm sure you're right about adding the CIVA INS, but I'd be nervous that the CS 737 would not follow the flight plan, if it doesn't follow the FSX Flight Plan. The CIVA converts it's co-ordinates to default FP logic, which the plane then follows. I reckon this CS 737 is pretty 'locked down' huh!

I posted about that in the pilot tester forum. Hopefully they'll do something about the heading knob as well as the CRS knob. It's turning TOO slow and the mouse wheel doesn't work both ways.The rest of the A/C is simply superb. FDE should be taken care of in release 1.0.

Optional mouse wheel up/down for ALL switches and knobs would be great too.edit: I see it's already been discussed.Moving right along........

I reckon this CS 737 is pretty 'locked down' huh!

The AP is custom coded, Civa INS is prepared to give HDG instructions to the FS autopilot, i don't think it will work with this 737.

is tuning VORs really the only form of navigating we'll have in this 732 ?

Probably, unless you indulge in some tweaking on your own, although I intend to do that, so you may not have to! This is because some older 737s have had an FMC added in later years, in fact there are several companies which specialise in this, although you are far more likely to see a 300, 400 or 500 series 737 getting this treatment. But it is nevertheless not unknown for an older 200 to get it providing it has enough airframe hours to make the conversion an economical thing to do.It is known as the 'Advanced Cockpit', which was developed as a joint venture between ARC, Universal Avionics, DAC and one or two other companies whose name escapes me at the moment. It adds multiple PFD screens similar to what you get in an NG, a TAWS, twin RNAV-capable FMCs. There is synthetic vision on the PFDs as well as E-Docs, which is updated weather, charts and such displayed on the PFDs, a bit like an EFB, and a HGS can also be fitted. It's far more likely that something used as a business jet would see this kind of thing, but there are some commercial jets out there which have had it done, so it is not entirely unrealistic to sling an FMC into an older airliner. If you want to do that, check out ISG's payware add-on instruments, which will enable you to do it.An interesting fun fact is that the very first ever Boeing 737 prototype, which NASA bought off Boeing to use as a testbed, later became the very first ever aircraft to have an FMC, when they were being developed in the late Seventies and early Eighties. Later in that development programme, two regular commercial aircraft, a Boeing 737-200 and a Boeing 727-200 were fitted with development prototypes of the new FMC and tested the design on actual commercial flights for a period of a few months, both of them making considerable fuel savings and proving the concept. This all happening in the early Eighties is in fact why FMCs CDU heads look like pocket calculators, since they wanted them to look familiar to pilots who were new to computers at the time, and pocket calculators were of course the shiny new thing to have back then, so they knew all the airline pilots would have one, just as they know they all have Ipads now, so EFBs often look like that.Most of the time however, 737-200s would be flown about using ATC directions and VOR navigation, which is certainly adequate providing you know how to do it.Al

Once the product is "complete" and reviews in, then I'll think about it. I have to admit that I actually enjoy their 727 (due to lack of a DreamFleet FSX version) and the C130.However, this current "beta" scheme is either comically lazy, or deceptively brilliant (I can't figure out which). Either CS is to lazy to properly beta their product, or they can get people to pay to do it for them and in the end, any "problems" with the end product can be put squarely onto the beta test...customers: "well, you didn't catch it, so it must not be a problem".

That might make the whole idea worthwhile right there....

Once the product is "complete" and reviews in, then I'll think about it. I have to admit that I actually enjoy their 727 (due to lack of a DreamFleet FSX version) and the C130.However, this current "beta" scheme is either comically lazy, or deceptively brilliant (I can't figure out which). Either CS is to lazy to properly beta their product, or they can get people to pay to do it for them and in the end, any "problems" with the end product can be put squarely onto the beta test...customers: "well, you didn't catch it, so it must not be a problem".

CS didn't "get me to pay" for anything. I'm capable of making an intelligent decision to buy or not buy whatever I please. I'm baffled by how some fail to grasp the concept of free market, and disturbed by those who object to it.Very simply, CS basically says if you're confident this will be a quality addon when finished, and if you'd like a discount on the finished product, we offer our beta for your enjoyment and your feedback.

Very simply, CS basically says if you're confident this will be a quality addon when finished, and if you'd like a discount on the finished product, we offer our beta for your enjoyment and your feedback.

+1 to that.Al

The AP is custom coded, Civa INS is prepared to give HDG instructions to the FS autopilot, i don't think it will work with this 737.

I think you're right. :(

Probably, unless you indulge in some tweaking on your own, although I intend to do that, so you may not have to!

Excellent! Hope so. :(

check out ISG's payware add-on instruments, which will enable you to do it.

Al, I'm not sure ISG will work with this. Because again, Ernie's system slaves the HDG control in FSX, and this CS 737 seems to have been custom coded for heading control (ie... the FSX autopilot HDG command is not commanding this aircraft when it's in heading mode). So I think ISGs attmpts to slave the HDG control will probably fail, in the same way that CIVA may well :(

Yup, that may be the case, but ISG's stuff is not merely autopilots as I'm sure you are aware, there are replacement gauges, PFDs and the like, which may have to be pop ups, but they would at least let you have a stab at flying a JT engined 737 with a more modern PFD, although of course you could simply do that with a gauge from something else. Nevertheless, I'm also thinking along the lines of doing maybe a 2D panel with the layout similar to the Advanced Cockpit. I prefer VCs, but if that's what I have to do to get one of the hybrid upgraded cockpits, then that's what it will have to be.Al