Question for Dreamfleet 727 owners

[Guest G. Stone]

I am seriously considering purchasing this product for the following reasons:1. No FMC so it must be flown old school2. No autoland so hand flown approaches are a must3. It seems like most systems are modelled4. The Fedex livery looks great (used to work for Fedex)5. The price is reasonableMy question for current 727 owners is the FAQ mentions navigation is handled by VOR/ADF so does that mean I have to manually input each individually?Can a use a product like FSBuild to create flight plans?If anyone is interested, I am trying to figure out if the DF727 would be the best choice for me or the SSW A310 (Comments welcome)

[Guest]

you can load a flight plan like you were flying a GPS plan and have the airplane fly the aux nav

[TC1 0]

The MB IV Autopilot will track a FS9 generated flight plan. By selecting the AUX/NAV, aileron channel, elevator channel, alttude hold, and heading select switches the plane will follow the flight plan, but you are responsible for climb cruise, descent and a portion of the approach.This is a great aircraft, easy to hand fly but it is not one you just pick-up the model to go fly around the world. I have had the model for over a year, and I am still learning something new each I take a flight.Tom

[ubersu 78]

As noted, the AUX position on the autopilot lets you follow a standard FS9 flightplan, which can be generated in FSBuild. If you want to be truely old school then you must set the VOR/ADFs to the proper frequencies and use those instruments to follow your route with HDG or NAV, rather than using the AUX setting.This is a very well done a/c and a joy to fly.DJ

[Guest B52Drivr]

Hello All, I can only say what I have said since first getting the beta of the DF 727. THEY JUST DON'T COME ANY BETTER!Best,Clay

[pbenoit 0]

If you want the "real" old way of flying, this is it, as Clay said above, it does not get better!!!To learn the details of navigating with VOR and ADF, as they did in the olden days before FMS ... you can check out this excellent site: http://www.navfltsm.addr.com/index.htm .... this is where I went to learn the ins and outs of "old fashioned" navigation.By way of comparison, the SSW A-310 is a "modern" jetliner fully equipped with modern avionics and systems like an FMS ... nicely done if that's what you are looking for ... but for the best of the best for 727 aircraft ... the DF is for you!!!I still remember the days of the Laguardia to Boston shuttle and many happy hours sitting in a crowded 727 (hahahaha) and even a few good compressor stalls!!!

[Paul Golding 92]

Thanks for all the nice comments guys :-)In addition, there's a number of user edits around for adding the CIVA INS.Dreamfleet Project ManagerGreatest Airliners - DC-8Greatest Airliners - 727 Whisperjethttp://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/images/F...BANNER_PAUL.jpg

[LAdamson 240]

>To learn the details of navigating with VOR and ADF, as they>did in the olden days before FMS ... you can check out this>excellent site: http://www.navfltsm.addr.com/index.htm ....>this is where I went to learn the ins and outs of "old>fashioned" navigation.>I learned navigation the old way. Love vintage airliners, older military aircraft, especially WWII, as well as early GA airplanes. Own the DF 727 too.But geeze.............I sure like the new glass panels with navigation, auto-pilots, terrain awarness, up to date weather and more..............tied to the latest GPS systems! :D L.Adamson

[Ralgh 43]

I was an engineer on the 727 and we had a GFMS. It was purely GPS based and would do coupled lateral navigation. There were limitations though. It couldn't be used below 5000 feet and we weren't allowed to use it for holding eventhough it would work fine for both.I too am looking really hard at getting this addon. I just got the pmdg 737 and 747 so I have some learning to do. I fly 737 for work so I don't need to do much study there but that 747 looks comlicated. Of course I did go through engineer school on the 727 back in 1999 so maybe some of that is still in my head.

[fwr757 2]

The DF727 is one of the best.I to learned the old way and it is a great addon to keep you honest.It keeps you busy during every flight,worth every penny.Frank

[boshar 6]

I agree. One of the greatest things is that this add-on keeps you busy. I have this add-on for a week now (finally released on CD-ROM!). When I try it on my favourite routes I

[oldbear 33]

What's the printed manual like? Is there enough in it to learn the systems, or do you need to use the electronic version as well? And does it include a tutorial flight like the old 737-400?Ian

[Moose4 0]

Don't know about the printed manual, I have the download version, but the PDF manual is VERY good if you want to print it out. It will tell you everything you need to know. And I'm pretty sure there is a tutorial flight included, which is a good thing, as bringing the bird to life from "cold and dark" takes a bit of work. Not as much as some planes since there's no need to program an FMC, but there is a good bit of switch-flipping involved.I cannot recommend this thing enough. I'm the head of a 727 program at one of the bigger VAs out there (Delta Virtual, http://www.deltava.org) and most of our 727 flyers have bought the DF 727 and love it. We're a little fanatic about it, to be honest. :) And the user edit that Paul mentioned, to add the excellent freeware Delco Carousel IV-A INS gauges to the panel? Icing on the cake.It is far and away my favorite jetliner, even over and above the superb Level-D 767. Buy it and you will not be disappointed. And, remember, if you download it from Flight 1, they have a 30-day money-back return policy, so there's no risk. :)Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

[boshar 6]

The printed manual has 60 pages and contains mainly panel descriptions, performance tables & checklists. Its a great resource.The tutorial flight is in a PDF file so you would have to print that yourself

[Paul Golding 92]

Also, the package installs a tutorial flight setup (actually, I think there may be two of them) as well providing full checklists and performance tables on the FS kneeboard so you can actually go cold and dark to start-up just by following the checklists in FS.Dreamfleet Project ManagerGreatest Airliners - DC-8Greatest Airliners - 727 Whisperjethttp://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/images/F...BANNER_PAUL.jpg