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JRBarrett

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About JRBarrett

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    Member - 3,000+
  • Birthday 11/09/1955

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    Male
  • Location
    Elmira, NY
  • Interests
    Aviation - Computers - Sailing - Golf

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    VATSIM
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  1. Per the Oxford English Dictionary: Whinge Verb (British) complain persistently and in a peevish or irritating way.
  2. Most likely the fix for the missing SU14 water masks in the Bahamas and northern Caribbean.
  3. Yes, the native database in MSFS is updated - but not always on time. Sometimes it is not updated until a week or two after a new cycle starts. They have even skipped some cycle revisions entirely. The MSFS database (based on NavBlue nav data) is better now than it was on initial release, but that is because they started sourcing data for US airports from the FAA rather than from NavBlue. That change was implemented by the Working Title developers when they became an official part of the MSFS team and was done because NavBlue data for US airports (especially smaller ones) was (and still is) severely lacking in coverage and accuracy. No major US airline uses NavBlue data for their FMS systems for good reason. They all use Jeppesen or Lufthansa (LIDO) data. But even if NavBlue data was “perfect” changing the database for an existing product is not an easy or trivial task. PMDG used the same database format they had used in their P3D and FSX products in order to get their products into the MSFS market quickly. The same holds true for Leonardo with their MD-80, Aerosoft with their CRJ, and Fenix (which is based on ProSim). If these developers had tried to use the MSFS database format from the beginning it would have required completely scrapping their existing and well-tested FMS code and starting over from scratch. That would have probably meant that the introduction of the PMDG 737 or the Leonardo Maddog into MSFS would have been delayed by many, many months. The MSFS default aircraft like the FBW or 787 were designed from the very beginning to use native MSFS nav data. They did not have to change from a previous format. In any case, PMDG is moving to an entirely new database format, which is based on the same ARINC 424 database coding used by real FMS systems. They have probably been working on that for at least the past year or two, and it will require changing their internal FMS coding completely. Once that is complete and thoroughly tested, I assume they will “cut over” to the new format and FMS code in a product update. After all the effort they have expended on developing their new format, they are certainly not going to abandon that to try to adopt their products to the MSFS native database at this late date. One advantage (for those on XBox) is that Navigraph will probably allow PMDG to distribute a free copy of whatever cycle is current at the time they implement the new format, which means that those who use PMDG on XBox will get a newer nav database than the current one which is very out of date.
  4. Yes, with mergers and acquisitions it can be hard to keep straight who is whom. I was trying to obtain a component maintenance manual for a CRJ-200 pilot seat. It was originally manufactured by Goodrich, which merged with BE Aerospace, which merged with Collins Aerospace who now provide parts support.
  5. Most airliner landing gear are manufactured by Safran. Older gear may bear the manufacturer name “Messier-Dowty” or “Messier-Bugatti-Dowty” which are now all part of the Safran group.
  6. It’s worth every penny. PSX is also certified for use as a procedural trainer for r/w 747 crews - Lufthansa and Atlas Air use it for that purpose (among others). I’m sure they pay many thousands of dollars for the very same software we can buy for a few hundred dollars. I also use it in conjunction with MSFS using the free PSX.NET.MSFS.WASM link software and it works flawlessly. I have two monitors - one for the MSFS full screen forward view and the other for the PSX panels. I have custom views assigned to the various panels with the numeric keypad used to select them. Left, center and right main instrument panels, overhead panel and center console. It just works.
  7. I admit I’m very surprised they were able to pull this off. I had assumed the only way to update nav data for the Trainer would be to reverse engineer Garmin’s proprietary database format. Perhaps they were successful in doing so, but I have doubts that is what was done because that would subject TDS and Navigraph to legal action by Garmin. Perhaps they reached an agreement with Garmin to emulate their database format, but I have doubts that would ever happen because the database that works with the Trainer would also work with a real GTN. I suspect that TDS may have found a way to insert their own nav data into the process space of the Garmin Trainer when it is running. It probably would not be too difficult with the right tools to find where the trainer stores waypoints in memory. A clever hack if that is what they have done.
  8. I believe it will be automatically pushed to all MSFS systems in the same way that regular NavBlue nav data updates are currently done. If the overall size of WorldHub airports becomes too large, they may eventually make it an optional content manager or Marketplace update.
  9. That is exactly how a real 172 is configured for rudder pedal steering. The pedals are not directly linked to the nose wheel - they connect to bungee cords which in turn move the wheel. The pedals give a maximum deflection of +/- 10 degrees even with full pedal application. If you want to make a sharp turn you need to use differential braking.
  10. AFAIK, the payware version is being developed by the same individual who did the free version, which (for me) has always worked flawlessly. I assume Aerosoft is just the distributor.
  11. The 172 rudder is rigged so that you should not need any rudder input when in level flight at normal cruise airspeed. You will need to hold right rudder in a climb with full power. The tab allows the pilot to adjust the “zero trim” setting (on the ground of course). The 172’s engine does not have enough torque and p-factor to make the complexity and expense of having a dedicated rudder trim control worthwhile. You would typically only find dedicated rudder trim on high power/performance single engine GA aircraft and on twins.
  12. Hopefully SU15 has improved ground handling, but do be aware that in a real aircraft you cannot counter the effects of a crosswind with rudder alone. You absolutely must use aileron as well. During the takeoff roll you will be cross-controlled with aileron (stick) input into the wind and rudder input away from the wind. The rudder/aileron ratio will change as the aircraft gains speed and especially in a tail dragger there will be a significant change in required control inputs as the tail comes up.
  13. There is a switch in the overhead panel (probably near the seatbelt sign switch) that will illuminate a “no electronics” light at each passenger overhead PSU unit. This is to inform passengers not to use cell phones or laptops in WiFi mode. It is usually turned on before pushback and turned off once the aircraft has climbed above 10,000 feet. It is turned on again descending below 10,000 feet during approach. On later model 777s this switch and cabin annunciation replaces the former “no smoking” light. The message on the ECAM is just to indicate to the crew that this switch is “on”.
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