I always fly "as real as it gets" with the most complex add-onb airliners, real weather, real schedules, SID/STARs, TrackIR, FS2Crew when possible, Radar Contact 4.x, fuel planners, FSBuild, AI 100% and add-on airports when possible.What is there still left to improve my experience, instead of signing up with a flight school to become a real airline pilot? ;-)

All the hardware goodies, moving seat, hmm that very expensive 16 in 1 monitor setup (forgot who makes it), hmm hows bout that very nice airliner yoke, the metal one very expensive, all the go-flight hardware :-badteeth

VATSIM.Daniel P.http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpgMember of SJU Photography. [A HREF=http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=9004]Click Here[/A] to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!The official psychotic AA painter. :)

I agree with VATSIM so long as you can find controllers on line.If you don't want to go to flying school and pursue a career in the weird and whacky world of commercial aviation, I would suggest looking into a home cockpit setup.-Bryan

>VATSIM.>>Daniel P.>http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpg>Member of SJU Photography. [A>HREF=http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=9004]Click>Here[/A] to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!>The official psychotic AA painter. :)Or Ivao,depending on where you live and where you fly the most...(US go Vatsim,Europe go IVAO :) )Greetz

*meep* nothing against VATSIM/IVAO, but both don't use real weather and the traffic is... not so realistic. ;-)

VFR England scenery & Megascenery stuff.(also a real oxygen supply for your helmet!!)Peter Sydney Australia

>*meep* nothing against VATSIM/IVAO, but both don't use real>weather and the traffic is... not so realistic. ;-)I can't speak for VATSIM,but IVAO does use real weather.In the IvaP (program used for connection and such) config screen,you can switch on the weather and it downloads the current weather and sends it to your FS.I used it for a while and it was pretty accurate and nice too :).Now that i have Active Sky,i use that program for my weather.(and the weather is almost identical to that from the IVAO servers!)As for the traffic,you might have a point there,but that's what you get when you go online...and for me personal,the fact that i can make a flight fully covered by ATC makes it all better :).Did you ever tried IVAO/VATSIM?If you didn't,i suggest you do,you may like it ;).And if you don't,you can still move on and search for that extra touch. :)GreetzSteven

I did try both Vatsim and IVAO - both as pilot and controller, but... well, it is not for me. I do like the interaction, but with a hit-or-miss coverage it just isn't for me. I have stared at empty airports for years before AI traffic came out and I don't want to go back. RC offers me a more realistic approach at this point.I think both systems are a great idea, but unless there is significantly more coverage then I am not interested. It seems that FSX will close this gap as well, as I read, that MS will offer online collaboration, quote: "Connected world. Through increased online gameplay capabilities, Flight Simulator X offers players a connected world where they can choose whom they want to be, from an air-traffic controller, pilot, or co-pilot as they interact with other aviators from around the globe by chatting in real time via headset and keyboard."

nothing against VATSIM/IVAO, but both don't use real weatherUmmm, VATSIM does. And even if it didn't, you can disable SB3 weather and allow AS6 to generate the weather. If you really thought this, I suggest you try either one, because you don't know much about them. :) and the traffic is... not so realistic.[/b]Well, if you're willing to be reduced to pressing keyboard hotkeys to interact with a robotic-sounding "controller" in order to get "realistic traffic", I do have to wonder: HAVE you tried VATSIM/IVAO? Because you know, it might not seem that way, but having a real person on the other end that you can TALK to, and who follows local SOP's properly, is a leap in realism, even if the airport isn't jammed silly with AI planes.Just my opinion, take it with a grain of salt.Daniel P.http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpgMember of SJU Photography. [A HREF=http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=9004]Click Here[/A] to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!The official psychotic AA painter. :)

Like some others have said, you might look into building a home cockpit. There's the expensive way, buying complete modules that you can hook up to your computer. Or you could go the "little bit less expensive" way and build it all yourself. There are many sites where you can find inspiration, tips, tricks, plans, etc.And it's not all boeing 737/747 either ;)Go and look around! :)

I do already have a 2 desktop/3 monitor setup that serves me extremely well. The idea of a home cockpit is tempting, but unless someone invents a home cockpit that changes from a B737 to an A320 with the push of a button, I'll pass *g*. I just might go for the chair rumbler (forgot the name) and a good (non-CH) yoke and pedals.Could it really be that I am for the first time in years out of ideas to upgrade my FS? Unbelievable ;-)Other than that, I'll patiently wait for FSX, which will fix a lot of things that I have been waiting for (dynamic scenery, interactive airports, PMDG A32x).

You could start with "generic" cockpit parts like glass CDU, PFD, EFIS, ye ole gear handle and things like that :) something that can work for all your aircraft.Do you have FS Passengers, by the way?

I am extremely picky when it comes to realism, because I feel that the a simulator should aim to imitate something as real as it gets. I do not want to get into a "why don't I like VATSIM/IVAO" discussion. I do like them, but... they're just not realistic and if it is just for the missing traffic or controller. In about 50% of my online flights no controller was present to follow protocol and I was pretty much on my own. It is the job of ATC to seperate traffic and, well, if there is no traffic, then there's no need for a controller. But that's just my point of view and I do know that many hardcore online flyers disagree.I am even THAT picky that I abandoned Ultimate Traffic, just because of the fact that they stopped updating their schedules. I fly now with MyTraffic 2006 and rather settle for the auto-generated traffic (which is by the way very realistic and much better on frames). Call me weird. I am not such a nitpicker in real life, but piloting is pretty much an exact and carefully planned science with very strict SOPs.I start my flight generally 30-40 minutes in advance, so I have enough time to perform the exact tasks that a real life pilot would do. One of the biggest joys for me is to plan a flight, check the real weather, winds aloft, plan the route, calculate fuel, weights, program the FMC.Both VATSIM and IVAO do not use real weather, because, well, they can't. If only one pilot chooses to fly with a different weather, he'll have opposing runways for takeoff/landing. Will never happen in real life.Holdings/Go arounds will happen with RC. I never ever had a holding with VATSIM/IVAO, unless you attend an event.Cheers.

Yes, I use FSPax and if only for the failure simulation - and with more options on any non-FS2Crew flight. I hope that Bryan will be able to fill my void in the future. ;-)I would like a FMC/MCDU. That would be very cool indeed. And a real life stewardess serving me drinks. Hmmm...