New to FS2004....

[Dazzyt66 4]

Yeah, I know, why?

I’ve been using FlightGear but as I’m new to flying I’ve found it hard going, although I can fly a Skyhawk pretty well now lol.

Anyway, I had X-Plane on my iPad, which is good but expensive for PC and as my PC is just a Dell Inspron i3 I didn’t think FSX would work well and most people still say that FS9 is just as good and stable. As I just want to fly on my own, Fs9 for £8 on Amazon seemed a good deal! So here I am!

Anyway I’m Darren, 52, based in Doncaster, about to have my first flight in a real Cessna - possibly with a view to take lessons if I can afford it,

Be good to know if FS9 is still truly live and kicking (it seems from recent posts here it must be) and I’m looking forward to exploring this forum and taking my sim as far as it will go.

Daz 😀

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Daz,

I have been using FS2004 for many years and have just migrated to P3Dv4.  The reason I did this after much personal anguish is also, I believe going to be very relevant to you.

FS2004, for most purposes is dead and almost buried.  Do not mistake what I am saying. It is still a great platform but major further development is not going to be forthcoming.

As you have stated, your hardware is not really going to give you much satisfaction with FSX or later derivitaves, but should be ok for FS9.

An alternative to flight lessons may or may not be a viable one for you but you should at east consider a hardware and software upgrade in lieu. I base this on an hour per hour cost/satisfaction  basis.  The choice is yours and one that only you can make. 

FS2004 IS alive and well, it just is not going anywhere and will not go anywhere in the future. I still use it and love it but there really are better fightsim platforms out there. There is still a lot of old technology aircraft and sceneries out there but if you are looking for a complex airliner (for instance) there is basically only the iFly 737 and 747 available.

At 52 years of age you are still a youngster with many years of flight ahead of you, whether it be in the real world, Flight simming or both.  

There is also still many many simmers out there in this community including me, still using fs2004 and who will be more than prepared to help you out with good and constructive advice.

Good luck and let me be the first to say "welcome to our world" ... You are indeed among friends

Regards

Tony

[Skywatcher 133]

Welcome Daz,

Been a few people running back to FS2004 lately. I use it for no other reason than I think it's the best flight sim out there. No headaches with FS2004, you just get to enjoy flight simming. Have fun!

[TopGun33 124]

There are a few reasons why I only switched to P3D in mid-2016, and so far I still miss them (or their equivalent) in v4

- AFG Caravelle

- RFP panel and POSKY 747 classics

- Qualitywings 757 and Bae146

[Dazzyt66 4]

2 hours ago, himmelhorse said:

Daz,

I have been using FS2004 for many years and have just migrated to P3Dv4.  The reason I did this after much personal anguish is also, I believe going to be very relevant to you.

FS2004, for most purposes is dead and almost buried.  Do not mistake what I am saying. It is still a great platform but major further development is not going to be forthcoming.

As you have stated, your hardware is not really going to give you much satisfaction with FSX or later derivitaves, but should be ok for FS9.

An alternative to flight lessons may or may not be a viable one for you but you should at east consider a hardware and software upgrade in lieu. I base this on an hour per hour cost/satisfaction  basis.  The choice is yours and one that only you can make. 

FS2004 IS alive and well, it just is not going anywhere and will not go anywhere in the future. I still use it and love it but there really are better fightsim platforms out there. There is still a lot of old technology aircraft and sceneries out there but if you are looking for a complex airliner (for instance) there is basically only the iFly 737 and 747 available.

At 52 years of age you are still a youngster with many years of flight ahead of you, whether it be in the real world, Flight simming or both.  

There is also still many many simmers out there in this community including me, still using fs2004 and who will be more than prepared to help you out with good and constructive advice.

Good luck and let me be the first to say "welcome to our world" ... You are indeed among friends

Regards

Tony

Thanks Tony. I a man indeed looking at new hardware too, but to dip my toes FS9 seems a good enough place to start. 

Thanks for the advice, I’m sure I will have loads of questions as I progress!

Daz

[edetroit 933]

Hello Daz, My next video flight is Lanarca / Doncaster in an IL-62. FS9 still has sooOOOo much to offer for me. 

Welcome the forum of the Classic sim. Any queries do not hesitate to ask.

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Daz, 

A cuppla things.... 1. QW 146 is a great aircraft for fs2004 and not available for P3Dv4 sadly. Also edetroit is a very wise man and helped me with an upated editvoicepack for which I am very grateful. He is a splendid example of learned simmers who can and will help you. 

As you say, and many will agree with you, fs9 is a great place to start and you do not require a Kray computer to run it which is not the case with FSX and later derivitives.  

Personally,  I have not found freeware aircraft nor the default aircraft very good, but there is a lot of it available and again there are simmers who will disagree with that statement.  The best advice I can give you regarding aircraft is simply to suck it and see for yourself.

If you scroll through the FS2004 forum you will find an incredible amount of advice and it is all worth a read. A lot of it will not mean a lot to you until you get more involved and gain more experience.

So venture forth young man and enjoy yourself.

Regards

Tony

[Skywatcher 133]

27 minutes ago, himmelhorse said:

Personally,  I have not found freeware aircraft nor the default aircraft very good,

Still some new stuff coming out. The HJG DC-10 looks like great freeware. There is tonnes out there or available to buy. FS2004 is anything but dead or lacking. 

[meesterlijk 25]

Welcome to this forum.

Some of us have migrated to P3D but there are some things you should know. P3D requires a NASA-computer to run smooth. But it depends on your preferences on flying. 

- When you like flying at low altitudes with general aviation aircraft you propably like P3D. Beautiful sceneries. 

- When you love busy airports and like flying airliners you are better off with Fs9. These situations are very demanding for your system. Also Fs9 has loads of addons that spice up the flightsim but all these addons require a good system. 

Have fun and dont hesitate to ask questions.

[sascha 314]

Nothing wrong with FS9 but little to no development for the future. But for flying an airliner with lots of AI or puttering about in a VFR plane it is till great fun. For utmost in reality, X-Plane 11 is the sim to go, but of course just as P3D it needs a beast of a computer to run with all the bells and whistles!