I find that the soley 3d cockpit is brilliant,but it is very hard selecting a radio comm. You have to admit the comm1 2,nav1 2,are a bit fidderly to use.It makes online ATC very challenging. I ended up missing a approach, and getting very distracted by the having to select the radio. Even the close up radio view, is difficult to use.

 

Has anyone used the Saitek pro radio stack, low and behold it has all the radio comms and nav frequences? And even Adf.

 

Does this work well with the PMDG NGX?

 

How does it plug into the pc?

 

if people think it is ok i might get it tonight?

 

 

Thanks

 

jools

So first off I have not tried the radio stack with the NGX. However what I was going to comment on is the task saturation flying online. This is very real in the real world flying single pilot IFR. Also why there are two pilots in airliners. One flys the other talks and monitors and they swap on the next leg.

 

With single pilot IFR communications should be last on your list. The controller can get over it. Fly the plane first, navigate second, and last communicate. Hence the term aviate, navigate, communicate in that order. A real world CFI-I will literally smack you if you miss a fix or hold or altitude because you were trying to talk or do something with the radios. I known,,, have been on the receiving end of that one.

 

I am also a VATSIM controller, I would MUCH rather you hit your fixes and altitudes, runway assignments, or correct taxi ways than talk to me. While I may wounded what is going on it is far more work if you get off the approch or fly into the parallel approch path.

Yep it work fine with Saitek driver or with Spad driver.

From what I've heard... The radio stack works well with most addons

Cool great,

 

 

So first off I have not tried the radio stack with the NGX. However what I was going to comment on is the task saturation flying online. This is very real in the real world flying single pilot IFR. Also why there are two pilots in airliners. One flys the other talks and monitors and they swap on the next leg.

With single pilot IFR communications should be last on your list. The controller can get over it. Fly the plane first, navigate second, and last communicate. Hence the term aviate, navigate, communicate in that order. A real world CFI-I will literally smack you if you miss a fix or hold or altitude because you were trying to talk or do something with the radios. I known,,, have been on the receiving end of that one.

I am also a VATSIM controller, I would MUCH rather you hit your fixes and altitudes, runway assignments, or correct taxi ways than talk to me. While I may wounded what is going on it is far more work if you get off the approch or fly into the parallel approch path.

 

Ok this is what happened. I manged to get onto the localiser at EGSS, clear weather must of been about 7 miles out, and I thought to myself, speed is good, flaps were about 5 at this stage at about 170K, then slow to 160K by 5 DME. Reported localiser established to Essex radar 120.62, and then they asked me to report to tower 123.80. However unfortunatly I was now hand flying without the A/P, but didn't arm tower 123.80 on stand-by (my fault). I was planning to hand fly the localiser.

 

So I had to pan down to the radio stack and put the frequency in. I started to panic by this stage and found it hard to put the frequency in using the dial to tune. (The dial split into two, the upper half and lower half.)

 

By then I was too late and was starting to get too high to land. So I didn't want to land without permission. So just went around and flew the runway heading cleaned up then put the CMD A on and swaped the comm 1, to go back onto Essex radar.  By then I had a bit more time to put in the tower frequency. I could get vectored again and do a safe landing.

 

I know flying IFR solo isn't really what is done in a 737. I did try the first FS2Crew, and you could commard with your voice the comms and navs. But I found it a bit buggy, or if you made a slight mistake, you would confuse the first officer. I found that I was relying too much on him and not learning about the airplane enough.So I stopped using it. Maybe it is better now?

I understand there is a newer version, which is a lot more comprehensive, and you can omit some off his responibilities.FS2Crew V2 (or what ever it is called)?

 

So I did remember the saying Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. I did try and sneak the frequency in and it didn't really help my cause. But I went around and didn't want to land without permission.

 

I think I may well buy the Radio stack, it would help a lot. Thanks 777cap and Simbio for your advice.

 

 

So I had to pan down to the radio stack and put the frequency in. I started to panic by this stage and found it hard to put the frequency in using the dial to tune.

 

It helps to have a larger screen, I have just gotten used to my 32-in and I'm thinking larger haha.  However, the most important item I have that makes it easy to pan and zoom in the virtual cockpit is a high quality trackball. I've pretty much stopped using the other VC views such as overhead and center console and prefer instead to pan with the trackball.

 

When approach tells you to contact tower during an approach, you don't need to panic trying to set up the frequency... the tower isn't going anywhere and will wait for you to check in.  Your protected bubble of airspace doesn't evaporate, it still belongs to approach. The hand off to tower is because they own the runway... just be sure to check in in a timely manner because they may have other than the expected landing clearance.

It helps to have a larger screen, I have just gotten used to my 32-in and I'm thinking larger haha.  However, the most important item I have that makes it easy to pan and zoom in the virtual cockpit is a high quality trackball. I've pretty much stopped using the other VC views such as overhead and center console and prefer instead to pan with the trackball.

 

When approach tells you to contact tower during an approach, you don't need to panic trying to set up the frequency... the tower isn't going anywhere and will wait for you to check in.  Your protected bubble of airspace doesn't evaporate, it still belongs to approach. The hand off to tower is because they own the runway... just be sure to check in in a timely manner because they may have other than the expected landing clearance.

 

Good point. Fly first and explain later.

 

 

I guess 'get-there-itis' is a condition that flight simmers can often get more easily. Part of the problem I think. :Money Eyes:

So just went around and flew the runway heading cleaned up then put the CMD A on and swaped the comm 1, to go back onto Essex radar.  By then I had a bit more time to put in the tower frequency. I could get vectored again and do a safe landing.

 

The really good news is you handled that perfectly. Any instructor would love to hear these words. I so wish more pilots would do this. Just go around. It is five to ten min tops.

The really good news is you handled that perfectly. Any instructor would love to hear these words. I so wish more pilots would do this. Just go around. It is five to ten min tops.

 

 

Thanks... I had to fly the plane and I couldn't just turn up on her runway without saying hello.

 

So this radio stack looks like a box basically.  I just have a desk. How to you make it rigid like the pro yoke. Is it a g-clamp of some sort?

Thanks... I had to fly the plane and I couldn't just turn up on her runway without saying hello.

 

So this radio stack looks like a box basically.  I just have a desk. How to you make it rigid like the pro yoke. Is it a g-clamp of some sort?

No unfortunately there is no g-clamp or any sort, I attached mine to the throttle support

No unfortunately there is no g-clamp or any sort, I attached mine to the throttle support

 

Ok look into this, or possibily improvise. There mut be an additional frame work that saitek do?

https://s32.postimg.org/3r23edph1/13906883_10153621604127016_2616599571460570223_n.jpg

 

I got it today...I'm pretty delighted with it. Btw no need to improvise, those screws on the top of your Saitek Yoke are there for a reason.

 

I can still see the result of the PMDG radio stack changing without having to use it in flight. It works really well as it would with any addon.

Very nice, that mounts nicely too.