Every year on January 1, I find it worthwhile to look at the Top 100 Downloads of the past year...So, e.g. I looked into Flightsim.Com, to see what my fellow-simmers have considered (most) worthwhile to pick up, during last year. Two files, there, in the Library, of course, among many others, caught my attention, today:

1. The not-often-seen-here (Classic) B747-100 variant (BTW, JF's (current) 747 Classic Version includes the -100 variant, and their (upcoming) new and much-improved 747 Classic seems to be coming along well with the right mindset and approach. I read today, "As we near completion of the 747 Classic systems and avionics coding (no small task on this mighty and complex Jumbo!) we're continuing to improve the aircraft in direct response to community feedback and requests. We appreciate all the feedback we receive from our regular development updates, which often helps shape the ongoing development of our add-ons..." A bit more about the very first Boeing 747 (-100), below...
2. A Descent Management System Tool/Gauge, for any SIM aircraft not equipped with the sophisticated Vertical Guidance Systems of MD/Boeing/Airbus etc., that are available to us, on the desktop, so remarkably simulated by the premier (SIM) developers. However, without the benefit of such advanced FMSs, in an aircraft, we are taught to use back-of-the-envelope calculations, to figure out the TOD (top-of-descent), i.e. how far out to start the descent (e.g. subtract BOD altitude from the current altitude, and multiply by 3 etc.). However, here is a simple-to-use (interactive) (SIM) gauge, that has the pleasing look of a mini-MCDU, which appealed to me, (see screenshots, below). The user simply loads a flightplan, selects the distance (e.g. 15 or 25 nm) of the BOD from the DEST airport and then selects the "AGL at BOD" altitude (e.g. 2000 or 3000 feet), and the tool is set to go, to auto-start the descent (poor man's VNAV...🙂...) at the right distance (see screenshots, e.g. at 69nm out from TOD, at landfall on NZ-SI, on my south-bound trip, here, (from NZ-NI to NZ-SI), and, 8nm out from BOD, while turning at the Fix, just prior to BOD). One can adjust Speed manually, during descent, which I did, here, and it will continuously calculate and enforce the (required) vertical speed. I've not explored the tool fully, but, for a descent from 30,000 feet, here, I reached my BOD (3,000 feet), rather accurately, 25 nm from the DEST (NZCH) airport, where I captured the Localizer for Rwy 20 (see banking shots of the plane, at BOD) for ILS Landing.

Now, a bit about this endearing plane and livery, of this post: the Rollout event of the N7470/RA001/Prototype (B747-100), in Boeing’s Original Red Launch/Rollout Colors, is one of the most remarkable and (widely) impacting stories (photos) in commercial aviation history.  

"30 September 1968: The first Boeing 747, City of Everett, was rolled out at Boeing’s Everett, Washington plant. It was registered as N7470, and carried Boeing’s serial number, 20235. Identified internally as RA001, the Boeing 747-121 was the first “jumbo jet.” Here, it's this (747-100) plane/paint that I've selected to fly for the images below. This first B747 Jumbo (B747-100) first flew on February 9, 1969, about 50 years ago from today. [Side Note: Coincidentally, I recall from a story, I did recently, about the iconic A300 (the first Airbus), which project was also launched, about 50 years ago, in fact, in the same year, just a couple of months later, on 29 May, 1969.]

So, please find this collection of images of the (classic Red) Boeing 747-100 (with "those" JT9D-Engines) from "Project Opensky", on a short (~400nm) flight from NZAA (Auckland) to NZCH (Christchurch), while I test this Descent Management Gauge. To my comfort,...🙂...I read, Auckland and Christchurch are the only two commercial airports in New Zealand, capable of handling B747 (and Airbus A380) aircraft.

Hope you enjoy these pictures...! Best for the New Year...!!

[Posky(B747-100v4), Orbx(NZ), Freeware (Descent Mgmt. System)]

Great shots as always, P_7878 !! I can't wait to see this plane eventually in MSFS. So far I had no luck porting the P3D version over to MSFS.

Appreciated the comments, Bernd..!

Yes, this old beauty will surely look good in MSFS...(maybe one day soon)...