Xplane11 tip

[John_Cillis 2,406]

For realistic chop, turn off turbulence but add variable wind gusts and a wide direction of a few miles an hour.  It makes my flights and landings more challenging and more immersive, since I can use the rudder a bit more to control yaw.  I try to add a crosswind component of a few knots, and the autopilot will hold the heading in heading or gps mode quite well.  Hand landings in the Cessna or Aerobask Eclipse are a delight.  The Eclipse is still my fav payware investment along with Carenado's P3D Cessna Citation 550.  Both have similar autopilots which use pitch to hold the airspeed during cruise climb.  I love flying in chop since I learned to fly in one of the choppiest cities, Phoenix, where even in the spring time I would experience a lot of chop in the light sport fixed wing and trikes I flew in the first decade of this century.  Landings were a challenge and I went back to MSFS at the time and added mild gusty crosswinds which added realism that many claim could not be had in a sim.  I do find ground handling in chop easier to manage in Xplane11 and more realistic, I can hold the centerline in crosswinds much better than P3DV4 with rudder which becomes alive after a certain airspeed is reached.  Same is true on landings, even easier to hold the centerline in the Cessna with the engine near idle at touchdown and just the crosswinds to manage.  As a student or licensed pilot I would encourage other who use both sims for training as I do to try this tip.  You will feel rewarded on your landings and smile broadly when you nail them!

John

[lencarne 6]

Good idea.  When I have finally nailed calm weather landings I will consider that 😊