"I'm sure most of us who buy these kinds of planes will be the same"heh, care to place any money on that assertion? :)If all somebody wishes to do with the sim is pratice instrument approaches thats fine. But I think it's fairly obvious that the sim is designed to appeal to a broad audience and theres an awful lot more to flying than just instrument approaches. I would suggest that most of the people who buy the sim are "into" aviation (and most aren't pilots in the rw at all). For them (and me) this is as much an aviation museum in a box as it is a bland and turgid tool for study...BTW, people view airplanes in flight all the time. Take a look through that issue of Flying Magazine you refer to. I believe it's pages are filled with lovely photos of planes in flight...

I purchased this aircraft yesterday and like the rest of you here I think it is a great aircraft. I'm a little disappointed because I thought I was buying the "regular" Cessna 182 with the FIXED landing gear. Anyone know where I can get one of the same HIGH quiliy of this "RG" model? Thanks, jerrycwo4

bump

Leave the gear down...

I don`t think there is one.Just jam a rock into the gears. : )

>Many of us RW pilots...as has been written about in the last>couple of issues of Flying Magazine, came to the hobby for the>primary purpose of honing RW flying skills and especially>instrument approach proceedures.>>Given that, the outside of the airplane is meaningless. In the>RW, of course, viewing an aircraft in flight from the exterior>is a dangerous enterprise...and possibly a "once in a>lifetime" experience...except for parachuteists...but they>have just a brief glimps don't they? They can only zoom OUT!>On the other hand,there are thousands of us real world pilots who build and fly aircraft, go to Oshkosh Air Adventure and many other airshow/flyins to get first hand looks at a large variety of airplanes, old and new, and greatly care about the planes personality and looks in addition to watching a few needles move on a gauge... :D I also have a friend who specializes in restoring WWII aircraft from all over the world, for private owners and museums. With planes like these, exteriors mean a lot.See inclosed pic, borrowed from a popular experimental aircraft website:L.Adamson -- EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association)Edit by Mod:I know it's been a couple of days, but it's been brought to my attention that the website the pic originates from may hold copyright over it. Therefore, I am removing it--better to be safe than sorry.

><the exterior model and other "eye-candy". I don't see the>point in flying something that doesn't look the part.>>>>Everyone in this hobby has a right to participate any way they>choose and I certainly see where you are coming from...but let>me explain why others prefer the accuracy of flight models.>>Many of us RW pilots...as has been written about in the last>couple of issues of Flying Magazine, came to the hobby for the>primary purpose of honing RW flying skills and especially>instrument approach proceedures.>>Given that, the outside of the airplane is meaningless. In the>RW, of course, viewing an aircraft in flight from the exterior>is a dangerous enterprise...and possibly a "once in a>lifetime" experience...except for parachuteists...but they>have just a brief glimps don't they? They can only zoom OUT!>>(:> Regards,>JimI am not knocking people who think the FDE is important, not by any means. I stated that I think they are all equally important, but seeing as this is a game, visuals do go a long way in conveying the "illusion" that we are flying.What I always thought was interesting was how many of us have flown the same aircraft in real life and many of us have different experiences with how they fly. LOL:)

>"I'm sure most of us who buy these kinds of planes will be>the same">>heh, care to place any money on that assertion? :)>>If all somebody wishes to do with the sim is pratice>instrument approaches thats fine. But I think it's fairly>obvious that the sim is designed to appeal to a broad audience>and theres an awful lot more to flying than just>instrument approaches. I would suggest that most of the>people who buy the sim are "into" aviation (and most aren't>pilots in the rw at all). For them (and me) this is as much>an aviation museum in a box as it is a bland and turgid tool>for study...>>BTW, people view airplanes in flight all the time. Take a>look through that issue of Flying Magazine you refer to. I>believe it's pages are filled with lovely photos of planes in>flight...>>>Good point.Either way this game is great and we all love it for different reasons. That's what great about FS, OPTIONS!:)

<>I was kidding! But there are few known examples of civilian PILOTS at least, who have viewed their aircraft from the exterior during flight without a parachute and survived. FS9 is a flight sim not a magazine!(-:

<>Copy that.This hobby offers tremendous options for a wide variety of tastes and that is fantastic.Regards,Jim

<>Ah sorry - misread your post then - ya I agree there shouldn't be any balloon on the last stage.

"I was kidding! But there are few known examples of civilian PILOTS at least, who have viewed their aircraft from the exterior during flight without a parachute and survived. FS9 is a flight sim not a magazine!"Right. FS9 is a "Flight" sim. What is flight? Is flight being stuck behind a cockpit, keeping the needles in the green and learning the checklists and the drill for your favorite aircraft? Or is "flight" an all encompassing description of the beauty and breadth of the process that gets humans and birds and some mammals off the ground? I see Microsoft's flight sim as a product where enthusiasts of all types can enjoy every aspect of flight--from watching an old DC-3 fly through the air to being in one, to sitting in the tower and watching the traffic streaming in. It allows virtual pax to relive watching the wing bounce in the chop (with some add-ons :) ), and allows the serious pilots to immerse themselves in as many switches and dials as they can swallow.It's up to the add-on provider to describe where their add-on fits in, but I suspect Microsoft's intent was to simulate flight from inside and outside, and not just simply cockpit drill or number crunching. I like Carenado's attention to subtle eye candy like rivets, bolts, streaks of dirt, etc... Ariane was another company which included this type of eye candy in their 733/734 release a few years back. Most add-on providers take the eye candy seriously and don't try to cater to one part of the market. Heck, I've bought some of Eaglesoft's and FSD's work just to have a beautiful Citation or Avanti aircraft/cabin to look at and wander in :) Do I have to be a pilot to qualify my opinion? I've logged over a million "flight" miles in real life--about two hundred as a student pilot and the rest as a passenger. The "flight" part applied to both experiences, as does looking up at every aircraft inbound to Sky Harbor. -John

Now that i've got it and tried it out i think this is a top-class airplane from carenado, also i've noticed when taxiing that if you look up close the wings can be seen to wobble slightly, very realistic, anyone else seen this? the virtual cockpit loads instantly and the gauges are smooth as well. the paint scheme and textures definately make it look like a beat up old bush plane lol !

Sometimes for me it's an aviation photographer simulation. :D

>Sometimes for me it's an aviation photographer simulation.>:D>>I hear that!:D