I also found the original version of PMDG's 747 did not necessarily let me sleep all of the cruise since it required me to reconfigure the fuel feeds after a certian point, and since this is realistic, I expect the same with v2. I probably did the longest hauls with this aircraft by doing SYD/MEL - LAX/SFO and vice versa. I want to do SYD-YVR and back with the PMDG 777.

It's not quite the aircraft you're interested in, but now that I've worked out how to follow a flightplan and use the AP correctly I've started to do medium and long hauls in the IRIS F-15E Mudhen Driver.

 

I use the long range tanks and there's an option for refuelling in the air anyway, so I just pretend I met a tanker en route.

 

It's amazing how quickly you can get around in one of those when you don't have to worry about fuel. ^_^

 

In fact that aircraft is also my short haul and scenic VFR plane of choice too. It's superb. :wub:

 

I recommend trying it.

 

Ian

All of my flights are done in real time, longest flight is 11hours , which I have done once.

For me, a sense of achievement, lies in loading a flight plan correctly, do a good take off, climb for 20 minutes, cruise for 1 or 2 hours, descend, a good approach and make a perfect landing, taxi, end up at the gate and shut down..... in short, complete 1 or 2 hour flight as close as to the real life.....No certainly not a long flight while watching tv,browsing net or sleep or attend office .....

Many interesting and different approaches here! Thank you very much so far, I guess that there is really not "the only right way" of doing long haul flights.

Everyone has a different amount of time to spend, different interests, etc. I will probably pick the "let the plane cruise by itself" approach. Doing the preflight, takeoff, climb, descent, approach and landing in the most realistic way, is very important for me. But somehow, I don't like the idea of using higher sim rates.

I hope, there are still many ideas and different approaches to come...

Long Haul is more entertaining if you got multi monitor, i browse youtube on second screen during cruise

 

lol, I do the same exact thing, I still do long hauls but not that much anymore. I would rather land and takeoff a couple times instead of doing a 12hr flight.

I don't long haul.

Hi,

 

Like everyone I too can't sit in front of my PC for 8 hours. So when I fly long flights I get into the routine I used when I flew in the USAF. First flying the LDS 767 for Delta, I pick a flight that is real. Most US to Europe flight leave in the late afternoon US time and land in the morning in Europe. Next I plan the route which I use FlightAware. Then in real time I take off at the same time the real flight is leaving. I fly the departure to level off. If its late in the evening, I check everything and then go to bed. Set my alarm clock to wake me about the time I am about 300 miles from destination. If I oversleep, Radar Contact will pause the sim at 200 miles out, then fly the approach and landing. If I am flying westbound from Europe or to Asia I fly the departure again making sure everything is OK and then do chores around the house or surf the internet on my other computer. Flying 4X or 8X is never done.

 

One additional thing, flying over many places that I have not been also gives me a chance to catch up on some geography (something I use to like when I was in high school). Long hauls can be a lot of fun and not boring.

 

Bob

I never do super long haul flights (the biggest jet I fly is a 737), but sometimes I'll do like a 4-5 hour flight in the iFly. Typically during a long cruise like that I'll practice music/guitar and read, browse the web and watch Netflix on my iPad. When I was in school it was also a good time to get homework done. I also utilize that "Pause at X miles out" feature in Radar Contact.

 

Occasionally throughout the flight I'll open up some charts/map and figure out what I am flying over and geographic features to look for along my route. Like the poster above me, I'm sort of a geography nut

Like the poster above me, I'm sort of a geography nut

 

.....and me too. :smile: Guess it comes with the territory.

 

I have a huge world atlas map on the wall of my 'office' (sim room) and spend countless hours staring at far off places, while in the cruise. :smile:

The PMDG md-11 will auto step climb, great for overnight/at work long haul flights. It has a pause at TD function also.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone...typing errors imminent

I'd do what I do on shorter flights: Browse the web, visit the AVSIM forums, watch Netflix, study checklist, aviation theory and POHs on the iPad which sits on top of my yoke.

 

In real life most long haul flights are done by two crews, so if you want to keep it real, let your second crew fly while you go to sleep.

I'll read and do homework, but I've always been interested in long hauls- it's my dream career being a long haul pilot, so I've gotten used to just sitting in front of the computer for the length of the flight and as they say time flies when your having fun, so a long haul doesn't feel very long to me. I guess it's up to preference in the end. My problem is that I don't have a very good computer so I have to constantly monitor it so that it doesn't crash.

For me the most important parts of the flight are takeoffs and landings.As sson as I take off I make my way to cruise and then I pause FSX, position my aircraft to a certain waypoint along my flight plan,let's just say 200nm before my TOD(top of descent) then I change my fuel according to my estimated fuel prediction at that given waypoint(I just use FMC for that) then I also change the time of day unpause the sim and continue from there and just make the landing at destination airport.For me this is the best way to make long haul flights without using time acceleration at all!I still follow procedures and all that but I leave the 7-8 hour cruise portion out of it in favour of my landing because in my opinion that is most important.You gain nothing by spending this time in cruise.

For me the most important parts of the flight are takeoffs and landings.As sson as I take off I make my way to cruise and then I pause FSX, position my aircraft to a certain waypoint along my flight plan,let's just say 200nm before my TOD(top of descent) then I change my fuel according to my estimated fuel prediction at that given waypoint(I just use FMC for that) then I also change the time of day unpause the sim and continue from there and just make the landing at destination airport.For me this is the best way to make long haul flights without using time acceleration at all!I still follow procedures and all that but I leave the 7-8 hour cruise portion out of it in favour of my landing because in my opinion that is most important.You gain nothing by spending this time in cruise.

 

Why not just do short hops then and save yourself the trouble?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone...typing errors imminent