Thought it might be fun to start a collective "cookbook" thread of folk's favorite recipes for enjoying FS, begnning with my own:Ingredients:1. FS 2. Flight1 172/ FSD Commander/ Dreamfleet A36 depending on desired distance, geography/altitude and mood. I'm GA/VFR. Use to taste.3. Flightkeeper for "blackbox" recording, flightlogging, moving map, ambient airport noise, and audible checklists. (on laptop via WideFS/FSUIPC)4. Reality XP avionics5. FS Navigator6. Set of real world approach and airport charts (PDFs covering the whole US for $10 from www.sportys.com)7. Real world sectional and terminal charts for area I wish to fly (see sportys again, 8. FS Force (for more realistic joystick forces)9. FS Genesis 36 mesh, landclass, and Rivers, roads, rails (whatever it is called).10. ActiveSky V (on laptop via WideFS)Steps:1. Peruse the sectionals/terminal charts for an interesting flight that fits the time avaiable and ascertain routes, waypoints, MEA, frequencies, airspaces, reporting points, points of interest, etc.2. Print and study relevant airport diagrams and GPS approaches. brief myself.3. use FS Nav to build flight plan (with bearings for intersections, etc.), print it, and export it to FS and to ActiveSky V for weather processing.4. If it is late at night, use ASV to roll back the real world weather and FS time to some point in the day as desired. Breif the weather.5. Connect Flightkeeper (FK) and start logging. Enjoy ambient sound effects of planes coming and goinf and passengers chatting while doing preflight. 6. Program the Reality 530 GPS and cross check possible approaches with printed charts have for vertical guidance and minumums, etc.7. Run through checklists (which I have audble in Flightkeeper) and check ATC taxi instructions against airport diagram and Flightkeeper's moving map of airport layout to avoid requiring a "progressive taxi" with the magic magenta line from heaven.8. Fly (!) crosschecking visual scenery against Flightkeeper's moving map, XP 530, and rw sectional and terminal map. Enjoying ActiveSky weather and environment and (in the A36) the Reality XP weather radar.9. Land and taxi to gates using rw diagram and FK's moving map (which depicts parking spots which are missing on rw chart)10. Shut down and review flight events and skill using FK's blackbox. Also plot the flight, along with ll your previous flights on FK's map for one of those moments when one impresses one's self at where and how much one has travelled. 11. Listen to the wife complain "are you still playing that game?!"

Mine's pretty simple:Ingredients:1. CPU2. CD-Player3. Bones for the DogsSteps:1. Load favorite GA aircraft flavor of the week2. Set time to two hours before dusk3. Find some place I haven't explored.4. Let the dogs out5. Turn off ATC chatter--I hear enough voices in my head already (hope my CFI doesn't read this)6. Top off the tanks7. Turn down the lights8. Crank up the Hall & Oates9. Wheels Up10. Let the dogs in, give 'em their bones11. Tuck my daughter in.12. Grab the yoke firmly and...14. FLY!!!! (Step 13 deleted for reasons of superstition)-John

LOL:)here is mine.Ingredients:1. Fsim 2004 with weather set to heavy snow/fog (IMC)...visibility to 1.5 miles2. Select any plane that would fly to 15000 feet wtihout a problem that is IFR equiped3. get an approach plate for Aspen Airport (ASE)Steps:1. Load favorite GA aircraft flavor of the week that can fly over 15K feet2. Set time to around 6:00 PM3. Start at Denver,CO4. Turn on yoour GPS, and climb quickly to 15000 feet5 Fly direct to Aspen, CO, Turn off GPS once at IAF( Initial Approach Fix of the Approah).... and land safely using the VOR/DME approach.

Wasn't there a forum on here long ago (or mayber it was flightsim.com?) where folks would post a flightplan and a dinner recipe that would take the duration of the cruise to prepare and was themed based on the destination?? I could be making that up...http://ca.geocities.com/[email protected]_BigO_new.jpg

the ultimate date...

1. A bottle of good Chianti.2. Andrea Bocelli in the CD drive.3. The PMDG 763 at the gate.4. The flightplan for Delta #70 to FCO.Doug

Mine:Ingredients:1 x copy of Gmax (free)1 x VistaLiners L1011 source files (no, you can't have them)1 x copy of Kill 'Em All ($15)1 x copy of Ride The Lightning ($15)1 x copy of Master of Puppets ($15)1 x copy of ...And Justice For All ($15)1 x Ibanez SA160 ($250)1 x amp of your choice (varies)1 x pick (free, you ripped it off your brother)1 x instrument cable (My 20' cost about $20)Steps:Fire up GMaxPop in Kill 'Em AllOpen L1011 source filesGet annoyedTrash L1011 source filesSpend next 4 hours listening to Metallica instead, followed up by some thrashing of your own

Ingredients:Deleting all AI filesProject AI airplanesGenerating GA trafficMesh that makes the terrain not blobbyRecipe:Hop into the Learjet and head to some remote far northern/southern destination...ORadd Photorealistic Tucson scenery (coming soon)Recipe:Mountainous VFR flying around Mt. Lemmon, over and over and over again

>1. A bottle of good Chianti.>2. Andrea Bocelli in the CD drive.>3. The PMDG 763 at the gate.>4. The flightplan for Delta #70 to FCO.>>Doug>Where can I get the 'PMDG '763' from? LOL (or should that be 'LDS')Ooooooops sorry :-jumpy Dave T. .........On the lovely warm Devon Riviera and active 'FlightSim User's Group' member at http://www.flightsimgrpuk.free-online.co.uk/

Here's mine for a slightly less great but more usual FS experience:1. Think - 'I just fancy having a go on flightsim. Might take the new 747 out for a stroll'.2. Switch on computer. Check Avsim first to see what's new.3. One hour later. Still reading forum posts. Wondering why I've just bothered to read a lengthy and extremely nerdy thread on web hosting and bandwidth. I don't know what they're talking about.4. Finally get back to FS. Fire up the 747. Fiddle about with charts so I can input a correct SID and STAR. Start to input a flightplan - just a short one. Beginning to get bored so decide to just do a bit of VFR flying with the big bird.5. Take-off and fly about a bit, admiring the new toy. Wonder why the soft drink can on the virtual flight deck has a clickspot on it -so you can rotate it 180 degrees!!!6. Do a hairy touch and go at a small airstrip that hasn't seen anything bigger than a C172. Back to the airport and tuck in behind an AI 737 on finals. See if I can really frighten him. Pull off an excellent landing and then take a short cut over the grass back to the terminal. 7. Back to Avsim and see someone's started a thread on great FS experiences. Ian

"8. Crank up the Hall & Oates'I thought I'm the only one still listening to these guys.:-lol

Hall and Oates eh? I`m thinking "Family Man"I tell ya Kiwimail, now that I live in NZ, its amazing the classic old tracks you hear when shopping in Countdown. Just tonight there was Mr Blue Sky from the ELO, followed by Don`t Say Goodnight Tonight from Wings! Last week it was Couting the Beat by The Swingers.Anyhoo - back to the thread. My recipe for FS "ambrosia" is1) FS2) Vatsim3) PMDG Beech 1900D with Eagle Colours4) NZ Photo sceneries for as many areas as posible.5) A playlist of hand-picked MP3`s courtesy of WinampCross the Strait from NZNS to NZWN at dusk, with a couple of stalwarts manning WN Centre and WN Tower, and (in my dreams) someone on Nelson Tower would be superb.CheersLungsEagle212

TO have a real good FS Experienceyou need:1 cup of patience

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooops. Too much of the good Chianti :-) . Now I'm off to fly the LDS 744 :-) .Doug

lol! I have a feeling she wouldn't agree...http://ca.geocities.com/[email protected]_BigO_new.jpg