August 1, 201213 yr I agree totally, FT Kai Tak must be the most awesome piece of scenery I ever enjoyed. Un doubtely their masterpiece. Flying Hong kong at night, is nothing but breathtaking : you can almost feel the humid heat of that city, bancs of haze here and there and spectacular lighting... A piece of jewel indeed...
August 1, 201213 yr Reading this thread has persuaded me to buy the FT Kai Tak, but to anyone who is "on the fence" about it, the 9Dragons Kai Tak is a spectacular scenery and is freeware. I am sure it's nowhere near the quality of the FT one, but that is like comparing a Ferrari to a BMW. The BMW might not be all that a Ferrari is, but it's still a great car at a much lower price... The 9Dragons VHHX is one of the best freeware scenery projects ever released for FS9. I like to fly David Maltby's DH Comet IV in there, with some retro 707/DC8 traffic - loads of fun!!! Cheers Ian
August 1, 201213 yr I do have a version of Kai Tak, but as a 'dead' airport: not sure what it looks like at the moment in the real world. Is the airport still there or has it been built on by this stage? The real estate value must be enormous! Not sure how up-to-date the Google Earth pics would be. Have to Google this ... Was last there in 2006 and sadly it was already starting to disappear by then. As you suggest, in a city where building land is scarce, this real estate must be at a premium. At least it can still be alive in FS9 if we want that! Bill
August 2, 201213 yr Was last there in 2006 and sadly it was already starting to disappear by then. As you suggest, in a city where building land is scarce, this real estate must be at a premium. At least it can still be alive in FS9 if we want that! Bill We all have our preferences, but I have to say that I think that anyone who doesn't have any "retro" packages, such as Kai Tak, DF727, AI 707/727, DC8, DC9 etc. is missing an important element of what FS has to offer. The world of steam gauges, the time period when flying was "glamorous" and the different sounds, sights and skill sets of another era are a unuique element that only FS can offer... Being able to simulate a flight that is taking place today is an enjoyable and satisfying experience. But simulating a flight from another era is truly quite magical Cheers Ian
August 2, 201213 yr We all have our preferences, but I have to say that I think that anyone who doesn't have any "retro" packages, such as Kai Tak, DF727, AI 707/727, DC8, DC9 etc. is missing an important element of what FS has to offer. The world of steam gauges, the time period when flying was "glamorous" and the different sounds, sights and skill sets of another era are a unuique element that only FS can offer... Being able to simulate a flight that is taking place today is an enjoyable and satisfying experience. But simulating a flight from another era is truly quite magical Cheers Ian I guess I am even more retro than you, as in addition to the DF 727, CS 707 and AeroSim DC-8, I really enjoy flying the great freeware Constellation, DC-7 and Stratocruiser airliners. These have everything to evoke the propliner era (of which I just cought the end in the real world), with great round gauges, masses of switches, evocative big piston sounds with creaking brake noises and smokey startups! The only thing they are not replicating is the classic cockpit smell of oil, hydraulic fluid and leather which I can still vividly remember from my one and only time in the cockpit of an active DC-7C. Even the systems fanatics can keep themselves busy in these old airliners but it's just that the systems are quite different. It is not a matter of inputting data into a FMC, but planning the flight well in advance with paper charts spread everywhere and flying often with just VOR and NDB for navigation, which meant that constant situational awareness is vital and you have to try to imagine what the GPS would look like (unless you cheat and use one!) while all the time monitoring the many gauges. There are some great payware versions of the Constellation and Stratocruiser available which have even more accurate and detailed systems modeling but unfortunately these are only available for FSX. Indeed PMDG are developing a DC-6 for FSX which I am sure will be superb and which I look forward to using (these piston engined airliners are one of the few reasons I fly FSX from time to time). That is the great thing about FS - on a whim I can be flying a 777 or a DC-7, an F-4 or a rattling Bellanca Scout. Experience it all! Bill
August 2, 201213 yr simmarket offers you both versions (fs9/fsx) when you buy it. This thread made me purchase it yesterday and i was blown away at the amazing detail for both fs9/fsx.
August 2, 201213 yr I guess I am even more retro than you, as in addition to the DF 727, CS 707 and AeroSim DC-8, I really enjoy flying the great freeware Constellation, DC-7 and Stratocruiser airliners. These have everything to evoke the propliner era (of which I just cought the end in the real world), with great round gauges, masses of switches, evocative big piston sounds with creaking brake noises and smokey startups! The only thing they are not replicating is the classic cockpit smell of oil, hydraulic fluid and leather which I can still vividly remember from my one and only time in the cockpit of an active DC-7C. Even the systems fanatics can keep themselves busy in these old airliners but it's just that the systems are quite different. It is not a matter of inputting data into a FMC, but planning the flight well in advance with paper charts spread everywhere and flying often with just VOR and NDB for navigation, which meant that constant situational awareness is vital and you have to try to imagine what the GPS would look like (unless you cheat and use one!) while all the time monitoring the many gauges. There are some great payware versions of the Constellation and Stratocruiser available which have even more accurate and detailed systems modeling but unfortunately these are only available for FSX. Indeed PMDG are developing a DC-6 for FSX which I am sure will be superb and which I look forward to using (these piston engined airliners are one of the few reasons I fly FSX from time to time). That is the great thing about FS - on a whim I can be flying a 777 or a DC-7, an F-4 or a rattling Bellanca Scout. Experience it all! Bill Hi Bill I caught the tail end of that era too. My first "big" twin rating was the DC3. She was older than I was and I only got to sit in the right seat for a few months before she was retired, but I have fond memories and the MAAM DC3 has given me some nostalgic moments! All part of the FS9 magic! ^_^ Ian
August 2, 201213 yr Ian, you have some great memories with you that will always make your life better!
August 2, 201213 yr Hi Bill I caught the tail end of that era too. My first "big" twin rating was the DC3. She was older than I was and I only got to sit in the right seat for a few months before she was retired, but I have fond memories and the MAAM DC3 has given me some nostalgic moments! All part of the FS9 magic! ^_^ Ian Hi Ian Yes the MAAM DC-3 is superb too as is their B-25, which I just remembered I have not flown in a while, so I will get that out tonight for a planned trip around Vietnam from my new Da Nang scenery. As an addon junkie (scenery and aircraft) my problem now is that I have so many aircraft in my active and inactive hangers that I just don't have enough time to fly even the great ones. Essentially I think it is now possible to find a representation (payware or freeware) for FS9 of nearly every aircraft in common use (and a lot of less common ones) since about 1935! Many of these are of great quality although a few are a bit more basic or of poorer quality (residing in my inactive hanger awaiting the day when I might have time to tweak them - if it ever comes!). Bill
August 2, 201213 yr Now I know where to find the propliner captains! (The most modern plane by far which I fly regularly is a L-410, else I use DC-6 or Il-14. I find it very sad, too, that PMDGs DC-6B will only be for FSX - because I will definitely stay with FS2004.) I'm considering now to buy Kai Tak just for making the approach in a DC-6... Harald Geyer Gründer der Messerschmitt Freunde Dresden v. V.
August 2, 201213 yr Essentially I think it is now possible to find a representation (payware or freeware) for FS9 of nearly every aircraft in common use (and a lot of less common ones) since about 1935! I prefer to look at it this way ... Fs2004 (FS9) was also subtitled "A Century Of Flight" And it truly is, thats why we love it so!
August 2, 201213 yr I'm considering now to buy Kai Tak just for making the approach in a DC-6... Well it's really great scenery and I can think nothing better than trying the checkerboard approach to R/W 13 in a DC-6.....except perhaps doing it in a Connie .....at night! I can assure you, you really won't regret buying Fly Tampa Kai Tak - it is one of the greatest scenery addons of FS9.
August 3, 201213 yr Does this scenery come with certain "Addon Managers", "******** Launchers" etc. which constantly supervise the license or enables the sceney at all, like FSDT sceneries? Or can I "just" install it after inserting a license code? Harald Geyer Gründer der Messerschmitt Freunde Dresden v. V.
August 3, 201213 yr Does this scenery come with certain "Addon Managers", "******** Launchers" etc. which constantly supervise the license or enables the sceney at all, like FSDT sceneries? Or can I "just" install it after inserting a license code? You sure can. Just enter the serial on install, select which components you want to install, and you're done. No online activation or anything of that kind. Benjamin van Soldt Windows 10 64bit - i5-8600k @ 4.7GHz - ASRock Fatality K6 Z370 - EVGA GTX1070 SC 8GB VRAM - 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX @ 3200MHz - Samsung 960 Evo SSD M.2 NVMe 500GB - 2x Samsung 860 Evo SSD 1TB (P3Dv4/5 drive) - Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM - Seasonic FocusPlus Gold 750W - Noctua DH-15S - Fractal Design Focus G (White) Case
August 3, 201213 yr Thanks, that sounds good for people who want to have a scenery without a lot of new .dll files in their modules or even the OS folder. Harald Geyer Gründer der Messerschmitt Freunde Dresden v. V.
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