FSX/FSX-SE? New Member

[Captain_Al 66]

Greetings AVSIM:

 

I am new to the forum. I am relatively new to being a flight simmer online in the "virtual" world. I am not new at all to aviation, in fact I am getting to be an old dog.

 

I am a Captain Instructor Pilot and FAA Examiner for a major aircraft manufacturer currently. I hold type ratings on the B747-400, B747-8, B787, B757, B767, A320, and SD3. I have over 26,000 hours split between flying and teaching/checking in Level C/D simulators.

 

I use FSX-SE and, not surprisingly, I am drawn to the airline type simulators. I have the PMDG 777 and the iFly 747-400. Looking forward to getting the PMDG 747-400 now that it is out and the -8 when that releases. I am looking forward to making a VATSIM flight now that I am a VATSIM member. Flying these airliners is not much different than the real thing believe it or not.

 

I am also looking forward to contributing to the flight simulation community by providing informal guidance on flying the big birds. I have a website that does just that in its early stages. Anyhow, thanks for letting me poke around the hangar like I used to do when I was a kid...

[scottb613 1,186]

Hi Al,

 

Welcome aboard - we seem to have a bit of everything around here from kids just getting their feet wet with flying - to diehard hobbyists who will spend more on a "sim-pit" than it would cost to buy a real plane -  through weekend warriors flying bug smashers - to the heavy iron profession pilots... Actually - it's quite the eclectic mix and a very global community... I hope you enjoy your stay and there seems to be something for almost everyone...

 

I saw your post about sky textures - I think the best mix you're going to see currently is AS16 + ASCA + ENVTEX + PTA... That's what I'm running and I'm amazed every time I start my sim and I've been doing this for a while... This hobby has changed quite a bit over the years - initially almost everything was free - now days it's actually pretty darn expensive but obviously the quality and fidelity of addons has increased...

 

If you are looking for a more professional ATC service than VATSIM - there is a subscription service called PilotEdge staffed by real controllers and following real world procedures... Only drawback is that it's a paid service and only covers the western US...

 

Anyway - hope you find what you're looking for...

 

Regards,

Scott

[Chock 17,769]

Hi and welcome to Avsim. It's always nice when people who drive the big stuff are part of the flight sim community.

 

If you have a rating on the 744, then you are going to be very happy with the new PMDG version, likewise with an A320 ticket, you'll probably also enjoy FSL's A320.

 

It's worth noting that with an SD3 rating as well, you don't have to spend a fortune on FS add-ons to enjoy, because there is a very cheap and cheerful SD3 add-on for FS made by Virtualcol which is fun to fly too. Might not be up to PMDG standards in its VC - in fairness to Virtualcol, they make no secret of the fact that they are building stuff 'to a price' - but it's not bad and gets great frame rates because of that simplicity.

 

Anyway, looking forward to you joining in the fun on Avsim.

[Captain_Al 66]

Thank you for the welcome Scott and thanks for the info on sky textures, I will check them out.

 

Thank you for the welcome Chock and I am surprised there is a Short simulation. I have not flown the SD330 or SD360 since 1988. We used to call it the box the twin otter came in. I will definitely look that up.

 

My A320 rating is the one I have the lowest experience in, but it might be fun to see what I remember from 1998.

 

I will get my feet wet with the VATSIM environment first, should be fun. I will definitely be getting the PMDG 400 and -8 when it comes out. Those are a must. Thanks again gentlemen, good to be here.

[Peter Z KCLE_EDDN 335]

Welcome to the Avsim community Al. Be careful though, I too started simming, joined Avsim in 1998, and three years later started flying for real. Not commercial though, just private. Hopefully that real flying bug will catch you too ;-) Until then, welcome again!

Cheers,

Pete