I am starting a binder full of SID, STARS, Approach Plates and Airport Diagrams and I am wondering what are some of the best airports to fly too. So far I have KDSM because I am from there, KDFW, KMCI, KORD, KLAS, KTPA and TNCM. I am thinking about getting some of the ORBX sceneries so maybe a few airports in the Pacific NW but what are some airports you like to fly too?

Binders are old school, imo. Charts often change. Keeping everything up to date can be quite time consuming. That would bother me...

 

I suggest links to chart sites, and either print each time before flight, or you get an iPad and view them there.

abh, pay no attention to the previous post. Have fun simming. What kind of airplanes do you like to fly? If you're flying airliners, I suggest all of the Big Apple airports, plus KPHL, and especially KDCA.

abh, pay no attention to the previous post.

 

Sure you wanna go that route? And if you care to explain, you are welcome to.

abh, pay no attention to the previous post. Have fun simming.

 

I agree, if your not flying online with Vatsim or something like that, then up to the latest months charts arent even really necessary and if you want to keep a binder its up to you. Sometimes paper is easier to look at than iPad charts or EFBs.Most of the big US hubs I fly into in the sim have charts that have changed very little over the past few years where waypoints or ILS fixes have been changed or renamed.

 

You mentioned a lot of good airports. I like pretty much any hub done by FlyTampa, FSDT, and some of the Aerosoft stuff as well for Europe.

I fully agree with you Jim. Still, I was doing that, and found myself very soon, just months after I started, updating and having some procedures wrong.

Also I notice poster intends of having quite a few airports, maybe even addon sceneries...

Yes, I do mostly fly on VATSIM, but nevertheless, sceneries change, get updated, Navdata too, then you maybe don't think about the chart, so you go flying and you realize you got it wrong and then have to update, print at the moment of heat while preparing the approach midflight.

Nah, I went through the whole mess and never again. It's only my humble opinion.

 

Besides, I believe airlines are also putting things on iPads and EFBs, or am I mistaken?

 

To the OP: don't let my comment above about old school get under your skin, it was ment more as a joke than a serious comment. Something two following posters didn't really get.

Yeah, I've got Aivlasoft EFB and did have Simcharts too until I lost the exe file for it LOL, but I still have a binder with paper charts in them, as indeed do many RW airline pilots actually, since unlike an EFB or Ipad or whatever, the one thing a paper chart cannot do, is crash, about the worst it can get is a coffee ring on it. And it is kind of difficult to clip an Ipad to a yoke.

 

Anyway, no chart list would be complete without these two challenging approaches: Honduras' MHTG Toncontin (Latin VFR makes an FSX scenery for it, and you do get the charts with that), and of course Bhutan's VQPR Paro a try as well.

 

Al

 

To the OP: don't let my comment above about old school get under your skin, it was ment more as a joke than a serious comment. Something two following posters didn't really get.

 

The only reason I agreed with the other guys was because I felt your post was a little harsh. It sometimes hard to tell when something is meant to be said in a joking manner over the net. Plus, its seems that over the past few months, especially since you wrote your "tweak guide" and became a mod, you seemed to have gotten really arrogant. I dont want to say that you seem like a jerk now, but sometimes it feels that way of late. No disrespect intented and not saying you dont know what your talking about, but it feels like you turned into NickN 2.0 only with a bigger ego and moderator capabilities.

I didn't take any offense to that Word Not Allowed. Even if you had intended it that way, I wouldn't had taken it offensively. Everybone has there right to there opinion. I usually fly in North America in airliners but recently started flying GA. I purchased Real Air Simulation Turbine Duke and it is great. I am going to eventually get on VATSIM when I feel comfortable that is. I have flytampa TNCM and KTPA already and FS Dreamteam KLAS. Any feedback is great.

Sure you wanna go that route? And if you care to explain, you are welcome to.

 

Apropos of nothing, your response to the OP was not the kind of advice that promotes the hobby.

As far as "Word Not Allowed's" reply goes, here is a different take altogether . . .

 

As a realworld pilot I gave up loooooong ago on trying to have every sim-flight as realistic as possible. There are so many problems with FSX ATC and with some controllers on the "manned" ATC options/systems out there that I gave up and decided to treat FSX as a world in itself.

 

A world where AI controllers can't decide if you should be at 12,000' or 8,000'. A world where if you don't start your descent in a timely manner by requesting enroute altitude changes, you might get an instruction to descend from 24,000' to the first altitude on your approach when you are 2 miles from the IAF (yes, I know, I'm exaggerating for effect) :Just Kidding: .

 

Or in the case of "manned" controllers, get cleared to taxi to the active from your parking spot, then having to debate/explain to the ATC "authorities" why you crossed another runway without getting an instruction to do so first (even after they CLEARED you to the active - WITHOUT any hold instructions). All this when you are the only aircraft within 50 miles of the airport!

 

So unless I am practicing a particular procedure that I intend to use in the realworld, then I just go with the flow and enjoy my flight-simming. Don't get hung up on being a stickler for realism in your procedures, it is just fine to do them with outdated charts that you have in a binder. You can worry about all the fun to be had with keeping your charts up to date and being a slave to details when you start your realworld flying. Have Fun with your flight-simming. :Peace:

 

Sure you wanna go that route? And if you care to explain, you are welcome to.

 

This seems like a challenge to me at the least. The following smilie is what I think when someone appears to be unreasonable due to an ambiguous post/reply then states that they were "just kidding/joking":

 

:Liar:

 

Using a couple of smilies in the first place to make your intent clear is not a difficult thing to do. :Idea:

 

You are a moderator, try not to leave so much room for doubt when stating your opinions. You should be leading by example.

:rofl:

 

:aggressive:

 

... it feels like you turned into NickN 2.0 only with a bigger ego ...

Is that even possible

Guys, I think it's more about your opinion of me as a mod than that I changed every bit. I can assure you, my type of writing hasn't really changed, as I've been earlier a "bit annoyed" sometimes about repetitive questions and people not reading forums is the same as of today. There are all these typical things which you see on daily surfing on the forums which are actually going hand to hand with tens of other forums, and sometims I do even too fall into them on the other forum and get a response of another me.

 

Maybe you are right, maybe I should be more of an example to others, but then again, that would mean, I would have to change. In the end though, my writings aren't, imo, as abrasive as you might think. I only try to help people, and mostly I do just give opinions.

 

This reply has nothing to do with the OP thingy though. This is only to possibly explain what I'm being accused of. As someone else said, I take this quite seriously (FSX, tweaking etc) and if you think I became arrogant after the tweaking guide, think again - why do you think I wrote it? Is it just for my personal amusement or maybe to help tens of thousands of users posting same questions on the forums over and over again, and mostly not getting them answered? I also wrote it to make myself replying easier, being able to respond to some things quicker and more effective, without being required to write a huge post every time AffinityMask is queried (and most have no idea how to use the search button) or people ask what to buy. If you think it's better to have daily tens of posts on how to build the machine for FSX or "my FSX is stuttering", you are welcome to take over and make a better job.

 

In the end, I have an ego, and a big one, yes. Always had it. Always will have it. I will try to think twice before I post something, or at least rephrase it.

 

your response to the OP was not the kind of advice that promotes the hobby.

 

Really? I don't know... my second sentance seems like quite promoting the hobby. I told him the easy way how to have update charts easily viewed.

Of course, if he prefers binders, as they are used IRL, he is welcome to: but has to remember, updating can be a dog, especially when it comes to big airports. IRL it's not a pilot handling all that, there are services for that.

 

I am going to eventually get on VATSIM when I feel comfortable that is.

 

About that: it's one of the most rewarding experiences if you manage to get a fully staffed flight. The fact is, it gets crowded as hell, but usually very good organized.

My favourites (FSX + online 100%):

 

LGAV (because i live here and because flytampa made a beautiful scenery :) )

LGSM (nice approach)

LGKR (nice if you get to do circling rwy17)

LYTV (Tyvat)

LICR (Reggio)

LXGB (Gibraltar)

LPMA (Madeira)

VQPR (Paro)

PADU (Unalaska)

ENBR (Bergen)

EBBR (Brussels)

 

Also some in Russia are pretty because of almost constant "interesting" weather.

 

Regarding "as real as it gets"...

 

I never fly offline. I do it online for 2 reasons:

 

-When i have good controllers online i get most out of it. thats the reason i got to become one of them (virtually of course :) I enjoy very much giving good ATC service to online pilots.

-When no controller is online, the feeling of being online in conjuction with real life, (if the daughter is sleeping :)) ) makes me be as good as i can be ...