Hi Tom,sorry I missed the chat we could've caught up on this some more then...."Since I wrote that last little bit 30 minutes hastranspired... a busy 30 minutes! ;) I talked Rhonda intoletting me buy 2 more hours. Mostly by coming up with the cashfor all but the last hundred bucks. :-eek (on the earlierstuff I paid for it all plus 20 to spare) That takes care ofall but a five spot out of my saved allowance. :( Oh well... Ihave 7 months to save up for anything I might wish to buy atthe conference. I requested that this new 2 hours be on a747... don't know how that will come out."Way to go Tom!!!"Strange but this is the most comforting thing you told me. Ihave been reading the FMS section of the PMDG 737 manual(s)and it really isn't coming to me. At least with the autopilotI have a pretty good idea of what I need to do. I do need towork on navigation"Yea, principle of FMS/Lnav is first you tell it where it is,(start point),then you tell it where it isn't (waypoint or destination), when it gets to where it isn't (waypoint or destination), it then knows where it is, so you can then tell it where it isn't again (another waypoint or destination), easy huh!!"From what I have read on the UAL Training Center's site thatdo have a worldwide database and have "custom" packages for alarge number of cities. If I have a choice I'd like to dosomething like Portland Oregon to Sea-Tac or Boeing Field onthe 737. Maybe Salt Lake City to Denver on the 747... but haveto put some thought into that. And that is only if theylet me choose"Err, don't waste too much time in the 'cruise' section of the flight,its' all time that you're paying forpersonally,(again this is my preference,but then I've been lucky enough to get sim time paid for by someone else)I would try shooting a few touch and goes over a shorter time in one sim,something likeSea-Tac to Port Angeles, or San Jose to SFO in the FUIII world, then try for a longer 'hop' in second sim."I need to restock my allowance savings... I wouldlike to try to get a "orientation flight lesson" or 2 thissummer out of Jeffco. I've always heard how flight schools areanxious to give such "lessons"... not so sure how they feelabout doing so with somebody with trifocals" :-lol Tom,I'm sure you'll get a ride :-), ask in the 'Flight School forum'.:-wavePete

Hi Tom,I concur with Pete here, if you get any say in events during the sessions I'd just stick to circuits and bumps and near-airport work. The visuals of a Level D simulator can be absolutely stunning but suffer the same detail loss with altitude that you get in FU3. Cruise is an inherently boring part of the flight so the less time spent in that phase the better. You'll get a far better feel for how the aircraft handles at lower speeds and altitudes.If you get a chance, try a Cat 2 or 3 ILS approach. That's when you really get to know if you've got the hang of flying it :-) There's nothing quite so welcoming as seeing the flare-path emerge from the gloom under the nose after seeing nothing but your own aircraft beacons flashing in the fog.Try some crosswind approaches, engine out is a bonus :-). See if they'll do a windshear scenario - United's training centre should be a good place to do this as they've had more than their fare share of windshear events over the years...Most of all, remember to have fun. I can't comment on the 747 as I've never had the privilege, but the 737 is a surprisingly agile aircraft. Get the instructor to turn the motion off and try a few loops and rolls. I've flown one inverted but that requires full nose down (up) on the elevators and your thumb jammed on the trim switches. The -300 version should have enough power in the engines to perform the Vulcan takeoff (climbing aileron roll at about 200ft).Whatever you do though, don't let them put jet upset turbulence on max strength. That's evil.Rich.

Can't let Rich's comments go by without adding a few of my own,seems like we've had similar sim experiences.."Try some crosswind approaches, engine out is a bonus :-). See if they'll do a windshear scenario - United's trainingcentre should be a good place to do this as they've had morethan their fare share of windshear events over the years...Prepare to marvel at the windshear avoidance system software,and follow its' flight director instructions or you'll definitely crash the ship trying"Get the instructor to turn the motion offand try a few loops and rolls."I rolled the Emb 145 sim, nice easy barrel roll, done nicely its a +1gmanoeuvre,well within the design tolerance of nearly every airliner,go on, re-create that famous shot of the 707 upside down over Seattle.:-lolAnd, as a party trick, the instructor I was in the sim with did a 'dead stick' (ie Both engines off,glider practice) approach and landing into one of the Alpine airports, all the way down from a simulated 37,000ft :-eek (I just happened to mention I flew gliders when I was younger...)"Whatever you do though, don't let them put jet upsetturbulence on max strength. That's evil."Oh yes,forgot about that one,aka 'Wake Turbulence' can really spoil your day,as can something called 'a sudden control runaway, or hard-over' eh Rich?;-) 'barf' bags in the sim, you can believe it.. :-erks Seriously though Tom, you'll have a great time, whatever you doin the 'box', wish I was able to join in :-(:-wavePete

Pete & Rich,You guys have given me lots to think about, comment on, and ask questions about... problem is I don't have time tonight... already past my bedtime! :-( I have to be up at 4 AM. :-eek I will try to get to a proper reply tomorrow night. Sorry. :-shy