When you fly offline, how often do you simulate diversions, failures, holdings, etc. (i.e., real-world inefficiencies that offline FSX pilots have the luxury of choosing to simulate)? 

 

Not very often.  In my entire "career" of flying real world, I've diverted for weather twice.  Granted, it's not like I fly for a living to have regular exposure to diversion factors, but it's my direct comparison.

 

I do, however, simulate holding if I note it's a particularly bad day on the OIS:

http://www.fly.faa.gov/ois/

 

Some of the controllers I know on VATSIM will toss me in a hold if they see aircraft are being held in the real world, and they know I appreciate the treatment similar to what's happening in the NAS at that moment.  That's only a couple, really, and mostly around Washington and NY.

When I do long haul I just leave it fly for the night and sleep & wake up a couple of hundred NM before the destination, mainly I do these around weekends & holidays.

 

I just don't like the idea of acceleration, makes things feel so cheap compared to proper longhaul cruise, even if I sleep most of it.

 

I think I will be getting a laptop soon, then I could just surf around the internet and play some games while cruising, would make day time longhaul flights way more tolerable.

 

Time acceleration is the worst thing anyone has ever added to the sim. If you can't fly it, don't fly it. That goes for weather, route length, route complexity, or aircraft type.

 

That's rather harsh. Whilst I would never use time acceleration myself, there is no reason why someone else shouldn't use it if they really want to (at least partly) simulate a particular long haul route. I would tend to "chop up" the route into manageable sections, and land at several other airports along the way.

And the answer to the original question now appears to be a resounding "YES"

 

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/415050-beta-notes-you-dont-have-time-to-fly-longhaul-think-again/

 

Two thumbs up to PMDG for that design decision.

 

Regards

I don't have any problems with acceleration time with the NGX and the 747, in 16x simulation time with NGX i have no problems at all. Sometimes i experienced some breakdowns on the 747 in 16x. But in 8x both are stable

Not very often.  In my entire "career" of flying real world, I've diverted for weather twice.  Granted, it's not like I fly for a living to have regular exposure to diversion factors, but it's my direct comparison.

 

I do, however, simulate holding if I note it's a particularly bad day on the OIS:

http://www.fly.faa.gov/ois/

 

Well you've got me - I've only diverted one time (and said diverted thunderstorm ended up producing a tornado).  Got to visit a random town out in BFE (west Texas) for a few hours.  But I am the same way - not a lot of diversion typical weather around here (central US).

I am on call one weekend a month for lock outs and other issues in my resident hall so I try to stay awake for 16-18 hours. What a better way than to do a long haul flight. When in cruise I can do my homework, or read a book. I usually don't fly online on these days because I try not to make my residents wait till I can go AFK. I do have one guy who always catches me on short final. I think he secretly wants me to hand over the controls to him.