Oh, for god's sake - can we give the game vs. simulation thing a rest?

 

The OP wants to know if there's a better way to hand-fly and hand-trim an aircraft.

 

The answer is, it can be done, but there are some factors to keep in mind. As a PPL, and as stated in your post, you're already aware of most of them.  But maybe this post will help others who come across the thread.

 

First, as others have pointed out, you won't have physical sensation to work with.  Force feedback seems like it would be an answer, but qualified people (like Dudley Henriques over at A2A) make the case that there's no force feedback system that really does a good job of simulating variable control forces, as opposed to bumps and rattles.

 

Nevertheless, you can trim by taking the same actions you would in a real airplane.  That is, you set your power for cruise, and pitch for your desired airspeed.  Now you've got the airplane on the numbers you want.  But it isn't trimmed - it wants to climb or descend, and you have to put pressure on the stick to keep it where you want it.  So you adjust your elevator trim (a joystick button works great for this) until you can relax that pressure and keep the aircraft at the desired altitude, attitude and airspeed.  In the real airplane, you'd adjust until there's no resistance in the stick.  In the sim, you can make use of the center detent (if your stick has one) or resting position (the place the stick naturally "sits" when you're not manipulating it) and work the trim until that neutral position gives you the right airspeed and level flight.  It's an approximation, like many things in the sim (what you describe as flying wit the trim wheel), but you're going through the same thought process as a pilot and using the controls in a similar way.

 

Another consideration is your flight control settings.  In FSX, open up your controller settings and make sure that sensitivity is all the way to the right (maximum) and "null zone" is all the way to the left (zero null zone).  That gives you a linear control input with no lag or delay.  If you use the default settings, which are somewhere in the middle, you'll initially get no response from the stick, then too much when it gets to the far end of its travel.  Linear is what you want.

 

The final variable (at least for this round) is the quality of the flight model.  Some aircraft have better flight models than others.  This is true in FSX, X-Plane or any other sim.  Default aircraft usually aren't all that good.  Bad flight models are often twitchy (though they can also be too stable).  The best flight models give you a sense of a physical object with mass and inertia moving in an airstream.  They're easier to trim and better at holding an attitude once you trim for it.  In general aviation, A2A and RealAIr aircraft fit this bill, as does anything designed by Alexander Metzger.  Among airliners, look for PMDG, Majestic or Flightsim Labs.  This isn't an exhaustive list - and there's excellent freeware, too.  Am just naming a few quick names as points of reference.  The big point is that the flight model makes a difference.

Hope this gives newcomers a start.  Hope also that others will jump in and amplify or amend or disagree.  But let's talk aviating, guys, not the sim/game thing....

 

 

What is solitaire?



You can try to justify it all you want, in the end it is, in fact, just a game...

Solitaire is a game, for sure. You either win or lose  -- not true of FSX. Thanks for making my point.

 

 

Oh, for god's sake - can we give the game vs. simulation thing a rest?

 

Couldn't agree more. Just stop calling it a game -- that will end the discussion.

Solitaire is a game, for sure. You either win or lose  -- not true of FSX. Thanks for making my point.

Lol I made your point? Sure buddy...

 

"Games feature points scored, winners and losers, and competition between individuals or teams"

 

Solitaire has none of these, hence according to your flawed logic it is not a game...

Couldn't agree more. Just stop calling it a game -- that will end the discussion.

Or, you could accept that it is a game and move on...

 

 

Or, you could accept that it is a game and move on...

 

Never. Sorry. Not a game. Period.

Never. Sorry. Not a game. Period.

 

 

Sure little buddy, no problem, after all living in denial is a choice as well...

 

 

 

 

Lol I made your point? Sure buddy...

 

"Games feature points scored, winners and losers, and competition between individuals or teams"

 

Solitaire has none of these, hence according to your flawed logic it is not a game...

 

Or, you could accept that it is a game and move on...

Never. Sorry. Not a game. Period.

I feel like I'm back in the third grade.

I feel like I'm back in the third grade.

 

LOL, and how many times has this debate occurred?

 

It's a simulator, packaged and sold as a game. So everyone's right! 

 

Also, so very very off-topic, so let's put this to rest.

 

 

 

Sure little buddy, no problem, after all living in denial is a choice as well...

 

A wise man once said that when the other guy descends to personal insults, you've won. 

Incidentally:

 

sol·i·taire

ˈsäləˌter/

noun

noun: solitaire; plural noun: solitaires

1. 1.

   North American

   any of various card games played by one person, the object of which is to use up all one's cards by forming particular arrangements and sequences.
2. 2.

   a diamond or other gem set in a piece of jewelry by itself

A wise man once said that when the other guy descends to personal insults, you've won. 

Incidentally:

 

sol·i·taire

ˈsäləˌter/

noun

noun: solitaire; plural noun: solitaires

 

•  

   

  1.

   

   

  North American

  any of various card games played by one person, the object of which is to use up all one's cards by forming particular arrangements and sequences.

   

   

   

   

•  

   

  2.

   

   

  a diamond or other gem set in a piece of jewelry by itself

Yes, very true. And since nobody insulted you, you really haven't won anything...

 

Of course solitaire is a game... It only wasn't by your flawed logic of what a game is. It is very much a game. Just like FSX...

Yes, very true. And since nobody insulted you, you really haven't won anything...

 

Of course solitaire is a game... It only wasn't by your flawed logic of what a game is. It is very much a game. Just like FSX...

When you play solitaire (or any game) you either win or you lose. To repeat an earlier question, the last time you flew in FSX, tell me who won and who lost?  If FSX is a game, you ought to be able to answer that question. As to whether I was insulted, that's my call, not yours.

ok, folks - we get it - there are differing opinions and this one has run it's course.

 

Vic