PMDG UFT Preview. Just Published

[LEFTSEAT 38]

1 hour ago, Stearmandriver said:

This thread is comical.

Guys... It's an EFB.  The only reason they're exciting in real life is that, instead of spending hours revising paper manuals, I can now just hit the "update" button.  That's literally it.  That's the only difference between my iPad and the old paper way.

It's just a different way to present the same information.  In the sim, a pretend tablet in a pretend airplane is MEANINGLESS.

Why?  Because none of them - not PMDG's, not Fenix's, not FBW's etc - do anything you couldn't do without them.  They just present clickspots on a screen that you can interact with to present information or toggle an option.

We all had myriad ways to display a Navigraph chart before this EFB.  Clicking through a menu interface to toggle doors or ground equip options is literally the same thing, whether you do it via a pretend iPad or a pretend CDU.

I'm just glad this debacle is finally over, so perhaps we can have some work from the devs that is in some way meaningful to the simulation.  RF leg ability, for instance. That kind of thing has been on hold for a year plus so the devs could cater to the community's demand for a meaningless pretend tablet.  Thank goodness it's finally here.  😂

Well said Stearman, enough is enough…..

[Stearmandriver 2,327]

2 minutes ago, BIGSKY said:

Pilots dont do this work,should be all automatic,how long do I have to repeat this?

Well I'd agree... That's why I always start a sim airline flight loaded and closed up and ready to go.  I've never understood why simmers want to wait around for things like boarding, fueling etc.  I don't see the purpose of functioning doors at all, personally... But to each their own I suppose.

[btacon 1,834]

Just now, LEFTSEAT said:

That kind of thing has been on hold for a year plus so the devs could cater to the community's demand for a meaningless pretend tablet.  Thank goodness it's finally here.

If “that” took over one year to develop and deliver I would not hold my breath for the Trip this year

-B

[Bdub22 1,622]

3 hours ago, Bobsk8 said:

I like the fact that you are involved in piloting the PMDG, versus feeling more like a passenger in the A 320 watching it fly itself.

You can't say you like piloting the "PMDG". You have to say 737. You're comparing two completely different airliners, but context is everything. If you like simulating the 737 over the A320, then so be it. But when you say you like "piloting the PMDG" because you feel like a passenger in the A320, then you should really take your gripes up with Airbus, not Fenix. Come on man.

[Stearmandriver 2,327]

1 hour ago, chapstick said:

Takeoff and landing calculations are important and the third party tools available all have certain drawbacks or cost money.

They're important in reality.  They're not very important in a game, especially when the ground friction model is simplistic.  They're never going to be more than an approximation in a desktop sim.  Add to that the fact that runway contamination isn't simulated, and landing data is pretty trivial.  And unless you're using failures and run the risk of a simulated V1 cut, takeoff data isn't important either; 26k flaps 5 will get you off of anything.  On any takeoff where an engine doesn't fail, you've got twice as much performance as you need.

Believe me, I will, out of curiosity, test the perf calcs by doing both a thin margin RTO and V1 cut.  Maybe I'm wrong... But I'm not too hopeful that the data is going to be all THAT accurate. I think it'll just be an approximation.

Edited October 29, 2023 by Stearmandriver

[Mike_CFII_MEL 790]

15 minutes ago, Stearmandriver said:

Well I'd agree... That's why I always start a sim airline flight loaded and closed up and ready to go.  I've never understood why simmers want to wait around for things like boarding, fueling etc.  I don't see the purpose of functioning doors at all, personally... But to each their own I suppose.

Hi,

Could it be that..... When running a flight from cold and dark those things happen simultaneously while the aircraft is being prepped for flight, so no one is waiting. I guess if one fly nothing but monitor(s) with no hardware, one doesn't have to reach for flight deck (buttons, switches, dials, rotaries and what-not) it would be boring moving from screen to screen with a mouse.

I am a bit disappointed in what I've seen of the EFB, but one has to work within the limits of the base platform and the direction they took their aircraft. 

Edited October 29, 2023 by Mike_CFII_MEL

[Sonosusto 690]

You what's more fun than complaining about a virtual plane with a virtual tablet missing your favorite virtual feature?

Anything else.

Their planes are great and the EFB is nice-to-have. Yes. It's about time, yes....but this will improve. PMDG folks are old school here. Everyone should chill a bit. Give them time.

 

[Stearmandriver 2,327]

2 minutes ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

Hi,

Could it be that..... When running a flight from cold and dark those things happen simultaneously while the aircraft is being prepped for flight, so no one is waiting. I guess if one fly nothing but monitor(s) with no hardware, one doesn't have to reach for flight deck (buttons, switches, dials, rotaries and what-not) it would be boring moving from screen to screen with a mouse.

Cockpit prep is not exactly exciting in the real airplane, much less in a simulated cockpit.  It's just the work you gotta do for the payoff of going flying (well, plus we're paid pretty well for it), plus it is of course the time to lay the groundwork for a safe flight via briefing. But in the sim..  yeah, makes sense to me to just get going.  But again... To each their own; the point still remains that a pretend iPad just doesn't change anything about it 

[The Flight Level 2,116]

Another great airliner read! One thing seems clear from what PMDG has delivered. They did not use a top developer(s) based on the length of time to develop the product and the level of product delivered. Especially in view of what quality and content can be incorporated into an EFB for a flight simulator.

[sd_flyer 6,077]

Still PMDG decision making process is surprising me! It's ok have fantasy based EFB but not limited functionality WX radar with excising API because it's not realistic enough LOL

[rjquick 232]

41 minutes ago, JYW said:

Sorry to be pedantic but late 90s.   

[EDIT: James beat me to it]

They first FLEW in 96/97. I'm sure you realize new versions of commercial airliners don't just pop out of the manufacturing hanger like magic. The NG was designed in the early 90s. Either way, there is a good reason why the plane's flight deck looks like it is from the 90s.

[Car147 2,282]

I am not that bothered about it. I suppose if i am in a hurry i'll just load simbrief etc straight in, but more likely just carry on entering it via the mcu. Horses for coarses.

[Mike_CFII_MEL 790]

2 minutes ago, Stearmandriver said:

Cockpit prep is not exactly exciting in the real airplane, much less in a simulated cockpit.  It's just the work you gotta do for the payoff of going flying (well, plus we're paid pretty well for it), plus it is of course the time to lay the groundwork for a safe flight via briefing. But in the sim..  yeah, makes sense to me to just get going.  But again... To each their own; the point still remains that a pretend iPad just doesn't change anything about it 

Hi,

"Cockpit prep is not exactly exciting in the real airplane, much less in a simulated cockpit."
That would depend on the level of realism in ones simulated flight deck. Having to use a mouse to press panel items on screen while using 3D panels wouldn't compare to sitting in a deck reaching for actual control items.

"the point still remains that a pretend iPad just doesn't change anything about it "
I would have to disagree here. Since these functions aren't performed by the pilots, I'd rather have a fully functioning EFB off to the side (networked to an actual tablet would be nice) that doesn't require pull down menus or keyboard command/ mouse clicks to break the immersion factor. A simple press of a button on the EFB off to the side on a tablet/Ipad is a great step in that direction.

[JYW 2,989]

1 minute ago, rjquick said:

They first FLEW in 96/97. I'm sure you realize new versions of commercial airliners don't just pop out of the manufacturing hanger like magic. The NG was designed in the early 90s. Either way, there is a good reason why the plane's flight deck looks like it is from the 90s.

I take your point, but when people talk about, for example, the beginnings of fly by wire and the revolutionary A320, they refer to those exciting public test flight films of 1988.   No-one would call the A320 an aircraft of 1981, which was when it's development started.

But it's not really important.   We're just talking semantics here.   I take your point that it has a somewhat dated look. It's hard to believe that the 90s was 30 years ago.  Man I feel old.

[james42 258]

1 hour ago, BIGSKY said:

Cockpit crew don't do ground servicing,all that should be automatic......

True, but in flight sims it works a little different. The pilot pretty much does everything. I'm not a user of GSX or anything that simulates the boarding process. But I do know all that stuff still has to be initiated by the user. So I think it's a good idea to have the tools available within the EFB to do that.