FSX-SE Getting started in FSX-SE?

[HarryVoyager 21]

So starting out in GA flight sims. Got a copy of FSX-SE and the A2A Bonanza V33B, and starting to get everything configured and figure out what needs to be set up. I've been flying combat sims for years so I've got he basics of how to get a plane roughly where I intend to, but haven;'t really dug into the mechanics of navigation, operation in airspace, flight planning, etc, and the FS2020 trailers got me hyped enough I want to try and start figuring that out while I wait to see how it goes.

So what I'm looking for right no are good setup guides for FSX, and suggestions on freeware add-ons that I should load into it, and if anyone knows of a decent North Texas map. I can live without it, but it would be nice if one is out there. I'm holding off on diving in until after we see what FS2020 is like. If it turns out to be good, I'll probably go dive into 2020, otherwise, if it turns out to be not so great, and I'm hooked on this, I'll probably dive into Prepar3d, so FSX is sort of a gap filler for the moment, but I definitely plan on using it to get the flight ops more or less down first.

Recommendations?

Thank you,

Harry Voyager

[Sagoland 22]

FSXWX free weather engine as realworld weather dont work anymore in FSX.

[Brisafresca 58]

@HarryVoyager

Hi Harry

Be careful 😀

Quote

So what I'm looking for right noW are good setup guides for FS

 

Sceneries

There is a good freeware terrain mesh to USA called FreemeshX with a level of detail LOD12 (9.5 m pixel size) : http://ninetwopro.com/freemeshx-usa-open-beta-announcement/

You have luck, there are good freeware photoreal sceneries from USA, you are able to download a lot of west areas from USA with high detail, however Texas has a little area

http://www.blueskyscenery.com/

http://www.blueskyscenery.com/TX.html

If you want full Texas area you have to buy ''MegasceneryEarth'' sceneries: https://www.megasceneryearth.com/

They haveTexas divided in 3 parts, each to 39,95 dolars:

Links removed.  Direct links to product stores is not allowed.

 

Tools

FSUIPC4 (Very important tool ,it is the first tool you must install before another, you have to install at least freeware version): http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html

You should have a weather engine, at this moment there is a freeware engine called ''fsxwx'' is decent but not perfect :  http://www.plane-pics.de/fsxwx/home.htm

A good freeware cloud texture pack to replace those of fsx se is Pablo Diaz's HDE sky texture v2.0: link removed as it links to a non-AVSIM Library.

However if you want to pay for better you can buy AS16 from Hifi, excelent weather engine and its cloud texture pack called ASCA, I usually recommend it because it has a dynamic clouds ,(but you can get AS16 and only use it with pablo diaz's clouds), at this moment you can get them with a 30% discount

https://hifisimtech.com/

Links removed.  Direct link to product stores is not allowed.

Others freeware weather tools are:

https://www.badbadweather.com/

https://en.allmetsat.com/airports/north-america.php

 

To make your flight plans you should have updated FSX navaid database so you are able to make updated flight plans, in aero.sors web you can download for free this database

https://www.aero.sors.fr/

However, it hasn't GPS approach procedures maybe you want to get a payware database called ''fsaerodata'', this has GPS approach procedures.

https://www.fsaerodata.com/

I recommend you a freeware flight planning program called ''Littlenavmap'', however it needs a Navigraph subcription because is its navaid database

https://albar965.github.io/littlenavmap.html

https://www.navigraph.com/Default.aspx

 

Another freeware power and real flight planning tool is Skyvector,  there you are able to get real weather information, free airport charts and a basic flight planning, however don't register there, it is a real flight web

https://skyvector.com/

 

And finally a good tool is scenery config editor, with it you can keep your scenario library tidy :  http://fs-sceditor.sourceforge.net/

 

Settings

To configure FSX SE you have an excellent guide in the download section developed by AVSIM, however you should know that the settings that reduce the performance in FSX are:

Any AI traffic, high amount of autogen, have light bloom activated, use any type of shadows including ground shadows, a high water effect detail

https://www.avsim.com/files/file/41-avsim-basic-fsx-configuration-guide/

 

My recommendation is to be careful not to spend too much money until you know how FS2020 will be, how much you buy a subscription to fs aerodata and navigraph to use littlenavmap and to have the updated navaids and gps approaches in the gps, that is so you are able to make flights with an updated AIRAC.

regards

Brisafresca

 

 

Edited October 22, 2019 by Jim Young
Several links removed. Direct links to stores is not allowed as it is considered free advertising.

[David Vega 348]

@E69_Brisafresca, your comprehensive answer should be made available to all.  Hope the moderators make it stick.  Thank you.  

[Brisafresca 58]

1 hour ago, SAX702 said:

@E69_Brisafresca, your comprehensive answer should be made available to all.  Hope the moderators make it stick.  Thank you.   

Your welcome 👍

[HarryVoyager 21]

@E69_BrisafrescaThank you. I'll have to read through those and start getting things set up. Considering I was typing in the airports. I consider that an acceptable number of errors (though I will say, phone autocorrect has both ruined/spoiled me over the years. Back in my day, I had to type the whole message up in word, then transcribe it back into the web browser to get decent spell check...)

Agreed with minimizing spending until we see what 2020 is looking like. I'd originally been planning on just running stock FSX with the A2A Bonanza, but after seeing what the stock terrain is like, I wanted to see if there is anything better. (That and having major controls bind in weird ways: having two axis run the same mixture may result in unexpected engine cut-offs...) And given what I'm reading from the Pilot's handbook of Aeronautics, I may want to even wait until there's a good steam gauge Bonanza available too. We shall see. As I've said, 2020 is looking very promising.

[HarryVoyager 21]

@E69_Brisafresca So apparently, with the combination of discounts going, one can get Texas and Oklahoma for $60, $10 less than just getting Texas alone... Yes, I can see how one can spend a tremendous amount of money on this quite quickly. The lower 48 are available on sale, only $750 plus $150 shipping.

I think I'm ok running without GPS for the moment; my background is WWII era stuff, and even the DCS planes I've been flying are a bit to old to have it, so I'd rather focus on cross-compatible skills for the moment.

One thing I'm still looking for info on is how to manage the bindings on multiple controllers? Do I essentially need to go to each connected controller under the FSX menu and unbind everything that I don't want that controller activating? I've run into a couple of YouTube tutorials that involve going into the config files to adjust the control behavior.

Also, how exactly does the joystick input get map to the aircraft control response? Is it, N units joystick deflection maps to Y units of force of the aircraft control stick, or a more simple N units of joystick deflection maps to Y units of aircraft control deflection?

Thank you,

Harry Voyager

[Brisafresca 58]

@HarryVoyager

Yes, flight simulation is an expensive hobby, so you have to think where spend your money.

GPS is a very important tool, and too in USA, you have to learn to use it.

Sorry but I cannot to help you with hardware

Regards

[Ricardo41 5,935]

If you are installing FSX-Steam Edition, there really is no need to mess around with any of These "guides to optimizing FSX". You're more likely than not to mess up your Installation.

FSX scenery can be figured to look as good, and in places even better, than the scenery of the "other Sim".

The real problem is the VAS-Limitation, which no amount of fiddling and adjusting is really going to solve.

Keep your sliders in a sensible position, and you're good to go.