Hi there to all,I was reading some threads here and something just struck me as odd;How long does it take you to set-up a flight; say one when you are trying to be a little more realistic. Say a flight for Vatsim or a 2 hour flight or more.I'm talking here eveything from flight planning to take-off.Just wondering. For me it takes about 30 mins or more; How long does it take you guys?Peter

PeterI am afraid I like all engines running and ready to go so I tend to create saved situations and flights for my favourite routes and only change the weather of the day to what it is for the day of the flight.Peter

Oh man... It can take from 45 mins. to almost an hour depending on how much the aircraft allows me to do. But I usually do the walkaround, all checks on all systems (if allowed), plan my route, fill up the FMC... And I use FSPassengers when I fly out of SFO (still broke, haven't bought it), and that one lets me simulate boarding and monitors how things are done more or less.So yeah, I'm sick. :-lolDaniel P.http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpgMember of SJU Photography. [A HREF=http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=9004]Click Here[/A] to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!The official psychotic AA painter. :)

Hello All, Yes, Daniel, you ARE a sicko, but that has nothing to do with your using FS .I do it both ways, sometimes I do it completely by the numbers, and sometimes I have only an hr or so and have to cut some corners . . . either way, I try to enjoy FS to the highest level, and I have tendencies to fly aircraft which allow me to do it each way.Best to all, even you DanClayhttp://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/images/F...ers/Dopke01.jpgClayton T. Dopke (Clay)Major, USAF (retired)"Drac"

To be honest ,I just after a pre flight,in my head of course ,jump in my trusty C-152 and BUZZ off. However ,there is a great article in the currant AOPA mag. Capt Barry Shiff describes the time frames in a flight from LA to Paris,via the Arctic routs. Talk about time,The flight time alone is 11hrs+.Those guys work like dogs and with no sleep.Sitting in front of a simulator, real time? 11hrs? "INSANE"and the pay is not to good also.Re Barry Schiff,A great story teller about flight from personnel experiences.Every month I await the Mag for a new story."DA GUY KNOWS" (Its an hour 15min now,on Sim, and Refrig break is SOP for me.) "HAVING FUN" VIN

When flying the British Airways routes in VATSIM with LDS 767, I usually start preparations 45-50 minutes before the departure. I do the operational flight plan, prefile FP to VATSIM, fill in the paperwork for myself (weight information, passengers, fuel etc) and load the 767 via the LDS manager. I'm now doing so that before every flight I press Random Pax Load just once and don't allow myself to click it another time. I often used to click it many times to find a suitable load according to my mood, but the new way is just something I've figured out to make it more realistic. Anyways, I try to be in the cockpit 30 minutes before departure so I start FS about 35-33 min before dep. Those times are the perfect ones in my opinion - no boring waiting in the gate and you have plenty of time to do everything accurately and correctly.

thanks for the feedback,I was wondering, with slogans like "As real as it gets" just how much time simmers have to spend preparing their flight.Just out of interest do you think long haul virtual pilots that have at least 3 hours free time to do a flight have the inclination to do a proper pre-flight etc.Peter

If I do it realistically, I figure 10 minutes for every hour of flight using automated software and reading the reports, if it's all by hand and reading reports, I've been known to sit for 2-3 hours for a 3 hour flight. This is all real-world planing though, not for FS flights. I don't own any real-world flight planning software other than AOPA's free one (to members) which is highly limited.Personally. I'd be interested in seeing a DUAT site made for virtual pilots. The current one is only available to FAA certified pilots.----------------------------------------------------------------John MorganReal World: KGEG, UND Aerospace Spokane Satillite, Private ASEL 141.2 hrs, 314 landings, 46 inst. apprs.Virtual: MSFS 2004"There is a feeling about an airport that no other piece of ground can have. No matter what the name of the country on whose land it lies, an airport is a place you can see and touch that leads to a reality that can only be thought and felt." - The Bridge Across Forever: A Love Story by Richard Bach

Preparing for a "normal" flight can take at least 30 minutes. However putting together a flightplan, finding charts etc took about 2 hours this week for one flight. The preperation did pay off.Long haul. Hmmmm I just noticed the time. I was going to fly from WSSS to KLAX tmorrow taking off at 11:00 local time all on IVAO so no time compression. My problem now is I have just found out that living in the UK gives me about 10 hours from 21:00 my local time. No flightplan yet so over an hour if you include that. Oooops add more for gathering food and drink together for the flight. (reaches for calculator). At least 60 minutes for that flight I would say. Long haul .... yes I will do a proper flight check its probably going to be pretty much all I have to for xxx hours so make the most of it I say!BTW I thought 3 hours was an average flight :)Longest flight four days. Total PREP for that a couple of evenings on the flightplans. Luckily being a Beaver not too much to check once the sim was loaded, phew :-)BTW if you want to know whether I make it from WSSS on time check http://network.ivao.org/ all flights and look for G1416. Take off 05:00ZAndrew Brownhttp://www.gordiusfs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

Of course REAL doesn't necessarily mean cumbersome- In real life you can take a 30 second peak at the current weather/forecast and hop in a Robinson or an Archer and do some afternoon VFR with your friends. Walk-around is really the only preflight you need, and you can be pretty quick with that too.

I never really paid attention, but I think it takes about 15-20 minutes. Like Peter S, I have the Flight Plans saved, so I just load it up, load the FP into ActiveSky, let that process, then go to Clearance Delivery and so on.

even for a short flight about 45 minutes.planning the route,finding co-ordinates,planning fuel,check weather,plug the route in the ins,check arrival,departure,find out speeds for departure,you name it.yes,i am a nut.cheersJP.

Realism is applicable to each of us as an individual. Meaning, that we each have our own view of it.Personally, I plan for 30 minutes to prep for a flight, and this is if I rush. It typically takes longer, from when I pick the route, to when I pushback. 30 Is a push.

yes==thanks to eveyone, much appreicaited.So 30-45 mins is about right for a more serious preparation time needed for a commercial jet flight.I was just wondering if there was a market for a virutal dispatcher. I mean like the real world and you get given charts for the flight; passanger loads etc and it's all set-up for you, how much fuel etc.And that also the dispatcher, like the real world, has made a sensible flight pland based on current forcasted weather and condition due to expected traffic loads etc.

Ah, we had a dispatch thing with AWVA (now MidCon) when I used to fly for them. We had two people I believe that did thedispatch so it wasn't totally automated. For the GA guys on here though, I think a DUAT-like system for flight-sim pilots would be nice for getting weather and notams all in one batch report.----------------------------------------------------------------John MorganReal World: KGEG, UND Aerospace Spokane Satillite, Private ASEL 141.2 hrs, 314 landings, 46 inst. apprs.Virtual: MSFS 2004"There is a feeling about an airport that no other piece of ground can have. No matter what the name of the country on whose land it lies, an airport is a place you can see and touch that leads to a reality that can only be thought and felt." - The Bridge Across Forever: A Love Story by Richard Bach