That's not the idea.The idea is that you gain nothing by watching that plane fly itself basically on autopilot.I still like big planes like T7 but I'm more interested in practising with them so unless I use failures or fly online on Vatsim I don't see the point in it.In real time I mean

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

 

Tough to to roll off at MTOW just doing short hops. To each his own applies, personally I tend to launch at night, get her up to a reasonable cruise alt (which is usually dangerously close to coffin corner early on), set THR LMT to CON in case the wind shifts try to raise havoc and CRZ cannot keep up so close to the limits, disco from Vatsim and go to bed. A little creative fuel management is required which is definitely outside of standard procedures though in that once airborne and cleaned up, I'll close the outboard fuel crossovers and burn the outer wing tanks down a pretty good amount before switching it back to normal fuel management. The next morning with coffee in hand, I sit down perhaps at TOD or not far from it depending on trip length, re-connect to Vatsim, switch to tank to engine if fuels levels are correct and bring her on home.

That's not the idea.The idea is that you gain nothing by watching that plane fly itself basically on autopilot.I still like big planes like T7 but I'm more interested in practising with them so unless I use failures or fly online on Vatsim I don't see the point in it.In real time I mean

But there are numerous real-world short-haul flights for big planes you can practice with. All you need to do is take a look at China or Japan! Legs between the major European cities are also fun, especially since there are better payware airports available.

I love to do it but 747 in fsx is not good because no APU.

I only do vintage aircraft. On the 707 I tune in nostalgia radio shows to keep boredom away. Paladin, Gunsmoke, as there was not much else in the '60s on the radio, entertainment wise. The old navigation systems are way cool too, doppler and such.

I only do vintage aircraft. On the 707...

 

Ok, now I officially feel old. The 707 is a "vintage" aircraft? Who knew?

 

I fly vintage aircraft as well, but they're pre-1950. In fact, what I do is so different from everything else described in this thread that I doubt most people would recognize it as flight simming. For example, navigating by dead reckoning and NDBs. Keeping the piston engines tuned. Flying a great circle route by turning 2 degrees every hour.

 

I didn't know Paladin was on the radio. Gunsmoke, yes, but I never heard it myself. I guess by that time the daytime soaps had all moved to TV, as I hadn't heard those since the early 50's. You can get recordings from the Top 40's radio stations from that era, but I don't know where. I was surprised when a guy I knew in the Army was as familiar with my local radio station as I was... he had a (vinyl) record from them.

 

Hook

I only do vintage aircraft. On the 707 I tune in nostalgia radio shows to keep boredom away. Paladin, Gunsmoke, as there was not much else in the '60s on the radio, entertainment wise. The old navigation systems are way cool too, doppler and such.

 

Wow, that makes kind of cool.

I love to do it but 747 in fsx is not good because no APU.

Most payware B747s possess APUs. Whose post are you responding to?

Whose post are you responding to?

 

I am not responding to any post I just know the 747 from fsx does not have an apu

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.

Whats the point in doing a long haul then?!

 

I mean...I don't understand people who start long hauls in FS and speed up the sim.... Whats the fun in that?!

But for sure the navigating keeps you busy and entertained.

 

For a real thrill, take off from Ascension Island and fly to the east coast of Brazil... when your initial range estimates with a full load a fuel will put you about 150 miles short. As you fly and fuel burns off, your range increases, and eventually you've got about 150 miles over. Nothing like uncertainty to keep you on your toes.

 

This is not something you want to do in time compression, or leaving the computer.

 

Hook

Whats the point in doing a long haul then?!

 

I mean...I don't understand people who start long hauls in FS and speed up the sim.... Whats the fun in that?!

I never said that I speed the sim just position myself ahead in time skipping the cruise part of the flight where the autopilot does most of the job.This way i get to do more landings in a short amount of time that i dedicate to simming.Keeping my flying skills sharp.

Whats the point in doing a long haul then?!

 

I mean...I don't understand people who start long hauls in FS and speed up the sim.... Whats the fun in that?!

 

Depends why you are doing it I guess ?? Normally I only "long haul" when I want to start flying around a different area since I don't like to "reposition" aircraft. That said, since my real life leaves me short on "Sim-time" I tend to use 4x as a matter of course whilst in cruise.

 

Although, at least to me - it seems better to use time acceleration to do a flight than go away and do something else whilst the AP does all the work, which seems a common way of doing things. Then again each to his/her own !!

 

G

I fly the D. Maltby's Trident and the Comet ( Best VCs of any plane I've , with accurate autopilot sequences which keep you on your toes ) and occasionaly the default 737.

If I do long haul, I do not sit for hours in front of the PC- I shorten the flight.

 

So, using IFR, I take off and get to cruising height and level off.

Using the Map, I then move the plane to where i think is just before where the descent begins. When I re - enter the flight, in virtual cockpit of course, I first bring up the ATC , tune into the nearest airport and ask for IFR. Then, following the instructions, I descend and land.

 

London to USA in well under and hour.!

 

BTW - The Maltby Trident and Comet are free! Yet still the best tubes I have flown,

 

FB