I was wondering how your situation awareness is? Without any reference points inside a 3D cockpit is it easy to taxi and to do difficult approaches like Innsbruck?

I was wondering how your situation awareness is? Without any reference points inside a 3D cockpit is it easy to taxi and to do difficult approaches like Innsbruck?

 

Actually, it's very good, because of the glass cockpit (see it just below the outside view of the plane?)

 

Plus, in the USA, I use Garmin Pilot which has a moving map that shows your airplane in relation to the terrain (or the taxiways when in an airport - that is called 'safe taxi' function).  The only 'bad' thing I can say about Garmin Pilot is that all of its charts and functionality are strictly USA.

 

Here's today's footage (very short).  Take a look at 50+ frames on the wing monitors (the center screen is locked at 30 fps all the time).  Those external monitor frames can really go insanely high with non-dense scenery (dark sky and stars).  Reality is most of the time they are 45 or more...sometimes a substantial amount more.  This means the airport rushing past the side windows on your landing touchdown streams by butter-smooth.  To me, the best investment I made in the entire setup was:

 

1- Sim-Avionics Glass Cockpit

2- HP Rove all-in-one for glass cockpit guages (networked via Wi-Fi)

3- Triple PCs (Dell XPS 8500) w/ upgraded 750-watt Corsair PSU plus upgraded MSi Gamer OC 4GB DDR5 GPUs in each.

4- Skymaxx Pro 1.1 plus UltraMaxx

5- HD Mesh (Donation Ware)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W802HbTz3ak

 

and... (note the glass cockpit - you can see the extended centerline for the departure runway [ the white ---- dashed line ].  The triple screens help a great deal for situational awareness, because now you can see the airport on your downwind before you commence your base turn.

 

looks great, what resolution are you running each monitor at?  I have a similar setup but I'm driving the 3 monitors off of one monster machine and GPU using Nvidia surround.  Right now I'm getting a similar frame rate running at 5720x1280 across the three monitors.  

1920x1080 on each pc/monitor  180 degree fov

I watched your YouTube video yesterday and have a question. Where did you get the 2 bay lower pedestal to house the FMC, radios, etc? The setup looks AWESOME!

Thanks for the kind words, Justin.  Yes, it has really grown since I started out with 1 PC and 1 monitor and a simple joystick.

 

The two bay pedestals are sometimes available on eBay.  They typically sell for about $300 but need some love to bring them back up to snuff.  I actually bought mine from FlightDeck Solutions of Canada but I had to pay to have it refurbished.  They offer brand NEW 3-bay pedestals (they make them) for about $1100 CAD.  I went with 2 bay for price and space reasons.  If I had a full on nose cockpit (also offered by FlightDeck Solutions) I would have gone 3-bay.

 

I can say I highly recommend FlightDeck Solutions.  They have treated me well and their CEO, Peter Cos is a great resource and can guide you towards reaching your sim goals.  Since they speak English, their support is many levels above competitors from Korea or Spain.

WOW... Robert, having just watched your YT demo, I am wiping up the drool! If I may be so forward, I have been thinking of my next build for my Sim... Excluding Xplane and the center PC what was your expense for Sim Avionics, the bay's, monitors, any FDS components, PC's. Don't need to be precise, ballpark will do. Cause Christmas is coming and I've got lots of husband points accumulated.(kinda like frequent flier miles). I will be green now hearing you on PE. If I am able to go this route, you have to be flattered cause imitation is the sincerest form. Wishing you uninterrupted fun with that setup. BTW, I am guessing it is cheaper than a Top off of a B737-6.

 

Regards,

Pat Snyder

Hi Pat,

 

The easy way to price out your dream is to communicate directly with Peter Cos over at FlightDeck Solutions.

You can build it up piece by piece (that's what I did) as your budget allows.  I started the same way most folks do, with a single PC and a Joystick and FSX (back in the day).  Eventually I got frustrated with FSX, flirted with XPlane briefly, went back to FSX, then back to XPlane 10 and that's my setup now.

 

I began with a FDS CDU and MCP/EFIS.  The MCP was a JetMaxx model.  There is only one CDU, the Pro-Max model.  Together, those two pieces are very key to the 'big bird' feeling. 

 

Yes, triple monitors/triple PCs is a game changer.

FDS will help you achieve your dreams.  They don't wheel and deal.  Their price list is "firm".  They are dealing with worldwide clients.  I will say I regard their gear as top-drawer and the fact they speak 'English' as a first language doesn't hurt either.  They have a vendor that works closely with them to custom-build high-end multi-PCs if you need help on that side.

 

I will strongly recommend FDS as your first choice vendor for ultra-real sim gear.  The other guys (Korea, Spain, etc) just aren't professional.  When you buy FDS, you're investing in quality.  I recognize it's a real challenge to meet their price levels.  But here, as in most things, you get what you pay for.  I have not regretted any of the FDS purchases I made so far, and I'm very close to 'done'.

 

A nice Yoke/Rudder Set is available from Precision Flight Controls of Sacramento, CA.  FDS doesn't make their own Yokes.  They do make very very nice rudder pedals.  I went with PFC on the yoke/rudders for matching reasons.

 

Just about everything in my setup is USB.  You definitely need Sim-Avionics to control all the FDS gear.  Ask questions before ordering.  They have legions of owners.  Many who went 'turnkey' solution full-on 737 or 777 walk-in nosecone.

 

I have to say the support from other vendors I've dealt with (excluding PFC Sacramento) left a LOT to be desired.  You can pay less, but you will soon learn why.  When you stay with FDS, you only need to contact ONE support source, who speaks your language, and has a wealth of experience.

 

Best of luck and happy holidays.

Thank you Robert for the reply. Currently have a new copy of X plane loaded. I am getting used to it. Exploring the add ons like aircraft and weather,and scenery. Additionally, specing out a new machine, with the prospect of future proofing. Nice to have options with platforms and hardware vendors.

 

Pat

Thank you Robert for the reply. Currently have a new copy of X plane loaded. I am getting used to it. Exploring the add ons like aircraft and weather,and scenery. Additionally, specing out a new machine, with the prospect of future proofing. Nice to have options with platforms and hardware vendors.

 

Pat