[30OCT23] Initial Tablet Built Installed to PMDG 737 MSFS Fleet

Installed and looking at it now. 

Make sure you have the PMDG folders all active in the community folder.  OPS center didn't show me an update until I remembered to move the folders back from MSFS Addon Linker.

Now lets hope they can fix the LNAV bug.  It really bothers me and it's not just me; I see it on streams all the time.

1 minute ago, Orlaam said:

Now lets hope they can fix the LNAV bug.  It really bothers me and it's not just me; I see it on streams all the time.

I’ve been a customer of theirs from almost the beginning. I have bought everything they have made. They have been talking about “improved LNAV” for years.  We’ll see…

-B

I didn't want an Apple product! I wanted an Android only! 😁

 

From PMDG:

Captains,

It is a pretty unusual thing for me to give you a Monday morning update, but we wanted to let you know that we have just made live a series of new update for the PMDG 737-600/700/800/900 series airplanes in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

This update is primarily focused on bringing the first build of our new Universal Flight Tablet to the 737 fleet, but also includes some additional small tweaks, improvements and bug fixes within the 737 itself.

Included here is a cut/paste from last weekend's preview announcement, lightly edited for improvement:

The PMDG Universal Flight Tablet initially releases with a small suite of applications that are focused on the "EFB" functions contained within the tablet environment:

Flight Plans/SimBrief Integration
- Importing flight plans from SimBrief.
- Download weather for the flight plan route.
- Flight plan/weather sharing between tablet/aircraft.
- Display of Operational Flight Plan.
- Display of real time METAR information (native or simplified format)

Charting:
- Navigraph Charts (Requires Navigraph Subscription)
- Georeferenced aircraft on displayed charts where appropriate.
- Flight centric chart selection/pinning of desired charts.

Performance Computation:
- T/O, Diversion, Landing computations.
- Data Import from flight plans or from the aircraft itself.
- Reduced runway length computations.
- Graphic display of displaced threshold data.

The PMDG Universal Flight Tablet is a new ecosystem within the PMDG product line that is designed to give us a natural space from which to offer applications and tools that will improve your simming enjoyment with our products. As development continues, we will be leveraging the tablet environment to bring you items that are focused on control of the PMDG airplane, such as:

- Managing all of the PMDG Options from the tablet *or* the FMS menu.
- Managing PMDG Functions from the tablet *or* the FMS menu.
- Manage PMDG Failures from the tablet *or* the FMS menu.

There are other additional features coming which we will detail in later posts- and we have also begun to coordinate with some outside developers in order to bring direct access to their applications right from within the PMDG Universal Flight Tablet. This will allow for some really neat integrations with the applications and tools that you love- all right from within the tablet, without breaking realism, and without needing to have 20 pop-up screens managed all over your desktop.

Within the core tablet functionality, we have included:
- Data Entry via attached keyboard, or via an on-screen keyboard
- Metric/Imperial Units selectable.
- Day/Night setting.
- Independent, fully functioning pilot/copilot tablets.

It is very important to all of us here at PMDG to point out that the tablet, much like our airplanes, is a constant development process. Our vision for the UFT is that it become a feature rich garden of tools that enhance your enjoyment of simming with a PMDG product. We have expanded our development team in part to support this vision, and we are welcoming a few key development partners to coordinate with us on bringing their applications into the environment. The first few applications we are rolling out are primarily focused on giving you some key, important tools that you asked for- but they are also designed to give us a chance to ensure the thing is stable and ready for the growth we have planned.

The next new batch of functions is already being prepped for testing, and I think you'll be happy with the pace of change, expansion and improvement now that the tablet is on your flight deck.

Thank you so much for your patience as we worked our way through this part of the endeavor. Now collect your gear and go flying!

Using it right now. I’m pleased. Basic but quite useful, even robust. And the UI? Just fine.

MHO,

-B

Confirmed there is a CTD issue with Google maps zooming. See attached:

https://streamable.com/im3q9y

42 minutes ago, btacon said:

I’ve been a customer of theirs from almost the beginning. I have bought everything they have made. They have been talking about “improved LNAV” for years.  We’ll see…

-B

I don't mean that.  Not the fact that the LNAV is basic and can't do specific RF turn or specific RNAV tracks.  Just that it can't bank without wobbling all over the place.  The AP handles a turn like it's being hand-flown poorly.  Twitches, then slight roll, then more roll, then starts to level out, then rolls again.  It's really an immersion killer and nothing I've seen before in a sim.  I've also had nearly all their products, especially the 737NG from FS9 days, and this inability to make a decent turn is crazy bad.  It's probably the one issue that prevents me from using it much.  You jump in the Fenix and the AP is so smooth and graceful.  You actually get the impression it's a real plane.

You can see it here @ about 4:41:21, onward, as it eases into the turn it's rather wobbly and unsure of itself, but much worse at higher speeds too.

 

Edited October 30, 20232 yr by Orlaam

Using the UFT in a short flight from EGLL to EGNT now.   I really like it.    I'll be even happier when the "FS options" are moved from the FMC to the UFT but even this limited function tablet feels like a good upgrade to the 737s.  Noted the above report of CTDs when scrolling using the Google maps, so I've avoided doing that in this flight.