15 hours ago, Alan_A said:

Bottom line - it's probably just that I'm finding out through experience that I'm a Douglas guy.

I am very impressed with the recent high quality piston transports - PMDG DC-6 and Manfred Jahn DC-3 - but haven't purchased the A2A Connie yet. I planned to right away, but so far I am challenged and satisfied with the PMDG DC-6 that haven't taken the time to buy it. I do want to an probably will.

But one of the things that trouble me is not with the A2A Connie, but the cockpit layout of the real plane. I like to have all of the controls in front of the pilot - as on the DC-6. But with the Connie's FE behind and to the side, it would trouble me that many of the engine controls are not available to the pilot if he wishes to fly it himself instead of depending on the FE. Any comments form those who have both?

The Connie's cockpit layout is very easy to work with in practice.  Actually, I like it better than the DC-6 because the ergonomics are better - the layout is clear and makes logical sense, where in the DC-6, which wasn't originally intended to have a flight engineer, the engineer's instruments seem to be jammed in random places all over the panels.

Most of the work you do at the engineer's station will happen on startup, or in cruise when you can let the autopilot do the driving.  It's a couple of strokes of the A key to step over to the engineer's station.  Two of the main engine instruments you need - manifold and RPM - are present on the main panel as well as on the engineer's panel.  The rest - BMEP and the pressure and temperature gauges - are pretty large and easy to see over your shoulder (via panning or Track IR) from the pilot's seat if you need to glance at them quickly.  And again, if you need to do more, the engineer's seat is just a short walk away.

So I'd say that even if you're going to turn off the flight engineer and run everything yourself, it ought to be quite easy to do.  I'd say the cockpit arrangement shouldn't keep you away from it.

Hope this helps.

I concur, despite me only just beginning to fly the Connie. Whilst I like some technology, I find that analogue gauges are better than a bunch of numbers for a quick scan. Good old school needles and the angles they're at are hard to beat. Once I'd got used to normal readings, a quick pan with the hat switch and I could see the FE panel at a glance - the numbers may not have been clear from that virtual distance, but the needles were! If you're careful with the mouse I think you'd be able to operate most of the click spots.