I'm thinking of shelving all my airliner products for a while, and all the associated extra stuff (GSX, MCE, RAAS, FS2Crew), shelving my Yoke, attaching back my joystick, and just flying around in something that I can get off the ground in 5 minutes of flight planning instead of 30 minutes of planning&startup. I can sitll fly on VATSIM in small planes, but I won't have to play with an FMS or a massive checklist..

 

I think I've been flying flightsims for so long, and constantly challenging myself to advance more and more was only natural. But once mastering complex aircraft, after a while it is a bit of a drag to have to do a full startup sequence to get in the air and is starting to feel more like a job than fun..

 

A couple of days ago I did a complete plan and pre-flight, on VATSIM ready to depart, started taxiiing, then had a crash to desktop before FSUIPC could do an auto save arghhh. I shut down the computer and walked away so frustrated. The other half the time I pick an airport with VATSIM controllers, only to get through my flight plan building, or pre-flight, and the controllers have to leave.

 

Did anybody else master things like the NGX, MD-11 etc only to find it couldn't hold their interest because it became a pain to get in the air?

Does the feeling pass? Or did you move back to GA or military aircraft for good?

I've had the feeling.

 

I gave up FSX all together for a while because of all the CTD's, but I managed to get *most* of them fixed, although everytime FSX has a stutter I'm holding my breath hoping for no CTD. Usually there is none, but sometimes there is, and it really grinds my gears. Sometimes I wind down by flying a few GA's of mine for a while and enjoying the photoscenery of Orbx. But my interest in airliners and the amount of CTD's I have will soon spike with the arrival of the PMDG 777 :LMAO:

yeah.. go propliners for a while.. much refreshing!

Nothing mandates that you have to start every flight cold and dark with a fully realistic flight plan! I frequently start my NGX in a partial state of being powered up, load a couple of thousands of pounds of fuel, spend 2 minutes typing in what is necessary to get my v speeds, and off I go for a casual flight around the field. 3 or 4 minutes at most. I can't say the same for an ultra complex plane like the FlightSimLabs Concorde; I only fly that plane if I feel like getting real serious. But normally I find that the majority of planes are only a chore if I make them a chore.

I was into airliners at first, I could fly the MD-11 properly, knew the checklist (nromal procedures only, but still) by heart, and I loved it! Then came the time I started university, I had less time, and also felt that my laptop wasn't capable of handling my tons of addons properly, so I stopped flightsimming for a while, and saved enough money to afford a new computer. Then again, I installed FSX and decided to fly mainly GA, since they don't require that much time, and since I had accumulated quite a few ORBX regions and airfields I felt that that was actuallythe right thing to do.

Now, every now and then, when I have a bit time to spare, and weather isn't good, I find myself reading the MD-11's manual again, and trying to fly her on some medium length routes, but still I find it much more thrilling and refreshing to fly a small Cessna into the Rockies than a large jet at FL360 and with 500kts ground speed!

Sometimes, when I feel the need to fly an airliner, though, I go back to the default (or CLS) planes, which usually are good enough to satisfy my need for speed. Otherwise, I also take the IRIS F-14 to do some carrier training, but that's on very rare ocacsions, only.

 

Regards,

Flo

FSX was constantly frustrating me and I was getting to a stage where one in three flights would crash in mid flight.

 

I have now gone over to Prepar3d which is basically FSX with service packs and am a lot happier. So now I am able to fly these planes and concentrate on making sure I land safely instead of worrying if FSX is about to CTD.

 

Roy

I kind of went the opposite direction, but you may find it applicable to your question.

 

I've always preferred the GA stuff. The largest plane generally I flew in FSX was the Grumman Goose, although I did do a 747 flight from London to Sydney once, and used the Lear for a few around-the-world hops that needed more range than the various smaller aircraft had.

 

Recently I've been flying a Searey (from Discover Arabia), a light sport aircraft (at least in the newest versions).

 

Now, I'm flying the stock DC-3 and loving it. Learn to tune the 1930s era radio and navigate with the primitive instruments. FMC, SID/STARS, LNAV/VNAV?? You're lucky to have a primitive autopilot! See if you can fly without using the GPS, or using only the database functions.

 

And ya know what? It's fun.

 

Hook

Isn´t that what is actually should be? I can imagine being a real life captain on a Boeing 737 NGX for ages, flying this aircraft from A to B must be boring at some point!

 

Fortunately my interests goes broader than just one AC; I really enjoy all jets, from old turbojet, low- an high-pass turbofans, as well as old turboprops with only very simple AP´s.

Let alone old style navigation like INS, VOR/NDB´s.

 

And then there´s the whole fascinating Russian scene, that I only briefly looked into yet..

 

I will not be tired of simming in the near future.

 

BR,

Anders

To be honest the CTDs are fairly rare, since I have all the fixes. But there are so many other things that can happen like the wife coming home early a controller going offline or getting a call from work.

 

The stuff PMDG produces is amazing, and it's really nice to feel like I am semi-capable of doing what the left seater on an airline flight is doing (for sure I know not fully capable I have no illusions about reality), but it seems the natural progression has led me into something that is not as fun.

 

Word Not Allowed - I understand what you mean about the setup. I fully multi-sim, DCS, Rise of Flight, GA, and airliners. Each flight means changing the heads on my Saitek throttles, adding or removing my centre joystick, (yoke only for fsx) and making sure the setup is good to go. I've spent many hours in FSUIPC.ini perfecting each aircraft setup.

 

But sometimes flying the NGX or MD-11 consists 90% of 2 things - playing with the FMC or looking out the window totally idle from extremely high altitude. PMDG have added so much detail to their masterpieces though that I almost feel guilty not to appreciate it.

 

I suppose it's frustration about the time component...lack of time to enjoy all that is available. I want to have my cake and eat it too. The last year has seen so many good releases including the DCS conversion to a combined "World" that I'm trying to fly everything and anything at once while at the same time trying to fly real GA on the weekend.

Sure, I occasionally get a little frustrated, although I mainly limit my airline (NGX) flying to the weekends, because of the time involved and maybe one night flight in the week. This is mainly because I see the NGX as 'proper' flying, not that my other flying is less so, it's just that I always want to go through the correct procedures and preflights when flying the NGX, so yes it is more time consuming. At other times I may jump into a GA and go for some less intensive flying. I think it's good to have variety, I am one of those guys who sometimes gets a little tired of one type of flying, so it's good to have a short break and then return all refreshed and enthuisiastic. BTW, I have to admit, I always enjoy the flight planning and cockpit procedures, as to me it's half the fun of flying the NGX.

Let alone old style navigation like INS, VOR/NDB´s.

 

I did a lot of flying the Goose around the Caribbean, using nothing but NDBs. In that area of the world, they're more powerful and have longer range. At the time I was developing a gauge mod so that the ADF wouldn't simply jump straight to the direction of the NDB but would waver around a bit, as described by Richard Bach in "Stranger to the Ground."

 

I started off long ago using direct to waypoint on the GPS and letting the autopilot fly the magenta line. Then I started using VOR to VOR the same way, while keeping the NAV radios tuned properly. Then I quit using the autopilot except to hold altitude. Then I quit using the GPS, not even loading a flight plan but writing it on paper, and using just the VOR radios. Then I quit using the altitude hold, and now do all my flying by either pure VFR or using a combination of VOR and NDB. I prefer the NDB when there's one handy.

 

In a sailplane you can forget flight plans. You simply declare a destination and hope you make it. In a helicopter you really want to avoid IMC, and I usually follow roads so I can watch the traffic, or an NDB which is easier to deal with in a helo. I'll use the GPS in a sailplane as they have some good instrumentation that relies on it.

 

Hook

 

Same here, I usually find myself only flying during weekend & Friday, other than that after school day I don't usually bother setting all the stuff up for a flight but rather search for quick fun by playing games.

 

I hope FSLabs would release their Airbus soon, setting up a joystick is a lot faster than setting up my Saitek yoke as I can't use USB hub with it but have to go under my desk and plug it to USB port on back of my computer instead.

I know the feeling!

 

Airliners interest me as long as I am learning how to properly fly them, going from cold and dark to cold and dark again. No matter how great the plane, I have found out that as soon as I know how to do a flight properly, I lose interest and I am back to GA... until the next best thing is released. ^_^ I've had this through all my simflying years. As soon as I know how everything works, it becomes work... a drag... time consuming... not fun... and I go back to GA: hop in the plane, start her up and FLY! YEAH!

 

It seems that with big airplanes I like the learning and reading about it more than the actual flying. With all the airliners I've flown (mainly PMDG but also PSS, Level-D and Aerosoft in the past) I had BIG FUN reading ALL manuals from A to Z, compiling my own checlists, but I never ever did a flight longer than an hour and a half... Usually I picked short hops that had me cruising for no longer then 15 minutes. Working with the FMC/MCDU/whatever was GREAT until I knew how to do it and it became VERY repetetive... a chore... boring. And so did figuring out the route, the SIDS, the STARS...

 

The odd thing is that when I do something, I want to do it with a certain degree of realism. I can't treat the 737NGX like a GA and just hop in it. I just can't. So keeping on flying a plane like that is simply torturing myself... ^_^

 

GA is more my thing. Simple start procedures and up in the air within minutes. And then enjoy the scenery. And you can do it with a certain degree of realism (cold and dark, taxi, the lot) without having to spend too much time on the ground preparing things.

 

This is also why I never bought FSCrew stuff (or whatever it is called). The idea of having to go through all checklist item by item every freakin' time. Yikes!

 

The PMDG 737NGX was my last airliner. I did have a look at the upcoming Aerosoft Aribus X Advanced but now I know that I will probably park it forever after a few weeks makes me unsure if I will buy it. I do own the previous version so I can get the advanced version cheap, so maybe... I will give it a go. The price is right for a few days of fun. But then again... it isn't as complete as the 737NGX and that may bother me. I don't think I will get the PMDG 777: too pricey for a plane that I will certainly not enjoy forever.

 

For now I am more then happy with my RealAir Legacy. It's the only plane I fly ever since I bought it. GA simply is more my kind of thing, I guess.

 

EDIT

Yes, VOR! I bought Orbx England and I am flying with VOR all the time again now: big fun! Planning my VOR-flights I do like, oddly enough, maybe because I simply like flying with VOR: figuring out how and when and where to intercept the radials, checking your position, etc. I actually like that, unlike working with an FMC and when you like something, preparation that takes some time is no problem because you know what fun you will get from it. ^_^

Those who own Leonardo Maddog MD 82 know what the add on demands from us in every phase especially preflight. Even though you have the fs2crew, still you do click switches and rotate knobs. While it is fun to do, I don't have spare time that much. Am thinking to get the F4U Corsair from Aircraft Factory A2A while I'm currently flying old yet goodie RealAir Spitfire in my FS9. I just can't go back to jets right now. Propellers have SOUL, they said..

There are opportunities to accept other challenges here. FSX is a great environment to learn and practice some of the older types of navigation. Several of the posters above a pointed out the availability of VOR's and NDB's. If you want to try something new, think about this:

 

Contact one of your local flying services and ask if it is possible to purchase some old VFR sectionals - the out of date sectionals will work just fine for what you are about to learn. Spread out a sectional of your chosen area and, using a PN-1 Navigation Plotter ( an inexpensive protractor-like device you can also purchase there) lay out a course which is defined by only VOR and/or NDB waypoints. Consider creating a few waypoints that are defined only by the intersection of a couple of those VOR's. Measure the distance using your plotter. Select something like the C210 or the C182, you know, something slow and equipped with NAV1 and NAV2 radios. Decide upon a comfortable cruising speed and calculate how much time it should take you to complete the course using only those navaids and your two radios - no GPS, Plan-G or any other type of assistance to increase your situational awareness.

 

Now, turn off all WX so you are not influenced by any winds aloft, take-off and fly that course to the best of your ability. You will be surprised how you end up concentrating and what fun it is. You will also be pleased at the sensation of accomplishment when you master this exercise. As you become more proficient you can turn on RW WX and make the whole exercise more and more difficult and complicated.

 

This is also a very basic RW pilot's required skill and one that any professional RW pilot maintains. One never knows when he will be required to fall back on his basic navigation skills to get himself and his passengers back on the ground safely again.

 

Enjoy!