Agreed however that take off calculator is very basic, all he has to do is punch in the aircrafts weight and the calculator does the rest.

 

Btw does the CLS bird have a basic MCDU?

I wanna try out starting with a smallie like a Cessna. But I don't have a joystick and I wanna play FSX in the meantime while I decide to get a joystick. I just mainly use autopilot on planes but smaller planes don't have autopilots and are mainly visual control that i can't control properly. So once I get a joystick, I can fly smaller planes. Haven't tried mouse control yet. Maybe sometime this or next week.

And I have big trouble with MCDU'S and whatever flight computer control system.

Good idea to learn first on the small ones ! :rolleyes:

 

In FS it is the same thing as in REAL aviation: you can't  skip the necessary steps.

There is so much to learn and that takes time !

 

Btw  the 'bigger'  small ones (Cessna 172, Mooney, Maule, Baron etc) have also autopilots.

 

It is well possible to fly with the keyboard , but I recommend once again using the mouse. (CTRL+K, CTRL+Y)

With a little training it is almost as good and easy as using a joystick !

 

Good luck ! :rolleyes:

 

Guy

I find flying big jets more comfortable than smaller planes and props.

Yes but the problem is that handling big jets is a lot harder than a small prop. If you can't land a Cessna then you'll kill yourself trying to land an A340. First you need a joystick. Flying with the keyboard is very tricky and very imprecise.

 

Do some of the basic lessons in FSX and learn to handle takeoff and landing in the default Cessna. Once you've got the hang of that then move up to a jet, but maybe try the NGX or the Aerosoft A320. For all that it might seem a huge jump there are a lot more resources around for getting started in those two than there are for the A340. I'm not sure that the CLS A340 is even particularly detailed when it comes to the autopilot systems. If you're going to learn how to do it properly, you might as well do it in a decent add on.

I now mostly use the default 737. I tried the 737NGX, and it's killing me. The computer system is the most difficult but it looks like the best and most detailed aircraft I've ever seen. I've order a joystick from Thrustmaster and I expect it to come along in a week or so. Thanks for all your support!

Read the manual. You can't just jump in and expect to know how to fly the plane or work the FMC.

Perhaps get a yoke if you want to fly the 737.. Saitek are a pretty good brand.

I also have the Saitek joystick for the AXE,

but - yeah you really do need to know how to "fly".. plenty of online lessons for that.  Don't let anyone dis courage you and keep going!!

Do the two tutorials that come with the 737NGX. They'll get you halfway there.

I don't see any stuff that comes with the 737NGX and yes, I've watched lots and lots of tutorials and made my first landing today! (More like my 5th, but the previous one's suck.)

I barely have any time to play FSX, let-alone read super long manuals....

I barely have any time to play FSX, let-alone read super long manuals....

 

Really not a good way to approach this if you want to be serious and realistic about this. If you barely have time to fly in the simulator, I am curious as to why you have such a complex add-on in the first place. In a real airplane, you can't just jump in and fly, so I'm not really sure why you think you can do that with a complex add-on like the PMDG 737.

It just looked so good... I only have about 1-4 hours a day.

It just looked so good... I only have about 1-4 hours a day.

 

If you really only have that many hours available in a day, I don't think you should have gotten it in the first place. While it may look good, it also isn't cheap, seeing as it cost $70.00. If you're starting from cold and dark, it takes at least ten minutes to get set up, and that's before you've even set up your flight plan. Then maybe another five or ten minutes to get the FMC set up, depending on how fast you can do it. Longer if you're struggling with it. Already, you've eaten up twenty minutes, assuming worst case scenario. Factor in pushback and taxi, and depending on the airport you're at, could be another ten minutes. So that's half an hour from starting up in the simulator to actually taking off. If you only have an hour in your day, you might not even make it to landing unless you land right where you took off from.

 

My main point being for a $70.00 add-on, you really need to put the time into learning how it works if you want to be serious and realistic about it. It is not an add-on where you can just jump in and fly. If you put the time into learning how it works, you may find that you enjoy it more rather than be frustrated by not being able to figure something out. But if you're not going to put the time into it, there isn't a whole lot we can do for you here.

Once you get good, it won't take you long.

 

4 hours is plenty of time if you enjoy it

 

4 hours is more then most is probably get except for weekends lol

 

Lee

I have like 4 hours on weekends and 1 hour on weekdays. (Stupid school!)