Moose4

>Hi Lewis,>>I just checked and both servers are up and running. Could it>be your firewall or anti-virus blocking things?>>Thanks,>JimWell, I haven't run it in a few days, but everything else Internet-related is working just fine, and I haven't recently updated AS6 so ZoneAlarm shouldn't flag it (and it isn't). Maybe it's some sort of glitch with my ISP or something between here and HiFi. I just tried it again and it won't connect, regardless of the primary/secondary force settings. I'll try rebooting to force an anti-virus update and diddle with some things on my end. Thanks Jim!Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

9:00 EST on Sunday 13 January, and my AS6 can't connect to either of the HiFi weather servers. Doesn't matter whether "Force Primary" or "Force Secondary" are checked or unchecked, AS6 just sits at "Connecting to HiFi DataNet" forever. Probably just a momentary glitch, but I thought I'd post on it anyway. :)Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

Thanks, problem solved!Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

I see that the Wilco A330/A340 package has been upgraded from version 1b to version 1c. Does anyone know what the changes between the versions were?Also, an odd problem--I'm curious if anyone else has had a sound problem with the Edelweiss Air A330-200 Rolls-powered repaint that comes off the Wilco website. It doesn't have any engine sound, but the A332 repaints (NWA, AFR) and A343 repaints (AFR) I've downloaded all work fine.Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

>Or, with the help of the inexpensive Friendly Panel>Instrument and GPS Pack, you cab get much better functionality>by installing upgraded avionic radios....well worth it in my>opinion....(yea, I put some RXP stuff in there too)>>http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/180477.jpg>>;)>Brian, are you going to make that panel.cfg available somewhere? I'd LOVE to do that mod on mine, except putting the RXP GNS 530 in there in place of the Simflyers one. But I have the rest of the stuff in your picture--the RXP FLT/FLN, and the Friendly Panels radios (which, IMO, are one of the most underrated inexpensive addons out there). I know the night-lighting won't work correctly with the landing lights on, but for that functionality, I don't care! :)Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

It's acting like it's down for me right now, can't even connect.Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

>Hi,>I know there is are the following available:>>Feelthere/Wilco CRJ-200>Feelthere/Wilco Embraer 145>Aerosoft BAE146 Avro >>Which of these regional jets do you recommend? Are there any>ones out that I am missing (both payware, and freeware)>>thanks!I'm actually a fan of Feelthere/Wilco's Legacy. Yeah, it's not exactly a regional jet, but with the right paint job, you can fake yourself into thinking it's an ERJ-135. :) The Legacy is based off their ERJ-145, with some improvements, and one of the better payware jetliner VCs out there.I also have the FT/Wilco CRJ-200 and really don't like it so much. It's a frame hog on my older system, the VC is unusable due to very slow gauge refresh, and something about the way it flies makes it hard for me, although that's probably 99.44% pilot error, and not the plane.Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

First VERY quick impressions.Exterior model: Typical Carenado, which is to say, outstanding. Three different paint jobs + a blank "white" paint. Fantastic detail including radio antennas, step up into the cabin, pitot/static, clear covers + light bulbs at the wingtips, "powered by Lycoming" stickers on the cowling. It's as good as anything you'll ever see.Cockpit: Again, typical Carenado--obviously modeling a well-used aircraft that's given its owners a lot of pleasure. A lot of the gauges--altimeter/VSI, VOR and ADF heads, and all the radios, transponder, and autopilot--are recycled from earlier Carenado models, or at least look like it. The 2D panel has the same set of mini-icons up at the upper left of the screen as the C182/C206 do. The avionics fit is normal--dual NAV/COM, ADF, transponder, KAP 140 autopilot. It differs from the Cessnas in that the FS2004 default GPS 530 is actually in the VC panel.The VC is good. The refresh rate is fine, and most gauges can be zoomed by clicking on them. The interior detail and texturing is top-notch, and you can even zoom in while looking at the wings and see the fuel gauges in the wing panels (which work). Framerates are good on my craptacular old Athlon XP.Sounds: Nice. They're not the same recycled engine sounds from the 182s, they're different. I don't know what a Mooney sounds like, though.Handling: I'm not a pilot, so I can't speak as to how accurate the modeling is. All I can say is that it "feels" good, with a reasonable "feel" of inertia and mass for the size of the airplane. As somebody upthread stated, it's a non-turbo airplane. In a bit of messing around with it, at the default payload (396 lb) and full fuel, a cruise of 23" MAP/2300 RPM gets about 130 knots IAS at 6500 feet. So it's not exactly a turbo Mooney speed demon, but it's a respectable cruiser.All in all, IMO it's yet another classic Carenado product...an older plane, without state-of-the-art avionics, but painstakingly detailed, visually great, and well-modeled all around.EDIT: The only thing so far that I don't like is that the panel lighting in the VC works exactly the same way as it does for their 182s. Turning on the panel lights gives everything a red glow. You have to turn on the landing light to actually light up the gauge faces.Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

Yep, I've bought it and am downloading it as I type this! No FSX version up yet.

I don't know what YSSY looked like in earlier versions of VOZ, but the 1.4 version has the famous control tower with the spiral around the outside, and custom terminals and other buildings. I did a five-minute spin around Sydney and was awestruck at the realism. The central business district is very detailed, the Harbor Bridge and Opera House are there, there's boat traffic in the harbor, it's amazing.You use an app called the "VOZswitcher" to swap VOZ texture sets in or out. There are four different sets corresponding to four different geographical areas in Australia, and you can only load one at a time prior to running FS. You also use the VOZswitcher to "unVOZ" and restore your normal textures, which are backed up when you switch from the defaults to any of the VOZ textures. It seems fairly idiotproof (I hadn't broken any textures with VOZ 1.21, 1.4 shouldn't be any different).Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

Oh good, thanks!Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

I use the great freeware Delco Carousel IV-A (popularly known as the "CIVA") INS gauge in several of my planes, including my Dreamfleet 727. Today, when I finally got some time to fly after several months of inactivity, I found that when I cranked up my two-CIVA installation in my DF 727, unit #1 continually flashed an 08-69 error code at me. The book says that this means the unit is "expired"--and sure enough, the history file for the only version of the gauge I can find, 1.40, says it "expires" on 1 January 2007. I've checked the CIVA site itself (http://www.simufly.com/ins) and flightsim.com, and both still have 1.40 up for download. Is there a newer version of this gauge around anywhere, or at least a way to get around the 08-69 error?Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

Well, on my weak system, I get much HIGHER framerates with Flytampa TNCM than I did with Delblond's freeware version. That scenery really tore up my framerates for some reason. Darn if I know how FT did it, but TNCM gives me the best frames of ANY payware airport scenery I've got (including FT KBOS and Cloud9's KCLT) without sacrificing any of the detail you see in people's screenshots. It's simply amazing.Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

Hi Rob,I have an:Athlon XP 25001 GB PC2700 RAMGeforce 6600GT 128MB 8x AGP100GB 7200rpm hard driveNot exactly state-of-the-art by any means. :) Most payware jetliners have VCs that cause too many stutters and slow framerates if there's a lot of cloud or graphic clutter around. The Legacy's VC is occasionally a bit slow to load textures for me, but the framerate hit compared to the 2D panel is minimal, and it's gorgeous. Plus, the gauge refresh is very smooth, smooth enough for me to fly hand-flown ILS approaches in the VC (which I can't do from many others).Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

DA's Cheyenne and the Aeroworx B200 for business twin turbos. Both are outstanding, but the Cheyenne has a faster gauge refresh if that's important to you. Two freeware releases that I think have amazingly good VC's--Rick Piper's Hawker Siddeley HS.748, and David Maltby's BAC One Eleven.For a payware regional jet (sort of), try Wilco/Feelthere's Embraer Legacy. I really like the VC in that plane, it's one of the few jetliner VCs that I can extensively use with a fairly slow system. I also fly in a VA with someone that uses the TrackIR with the Wilco/Feelthere 737PIC (on a VERY strong computer) and absolutely loves it.And if you ever feel the need for something smaller and single-engined, try the Sibwings Saab 91 Safir. Ultra-smooth 3D gauges combined with a VC that's got more clickability and "character" than anything else out there. It would be a perfect low-and-slow fit with a TrackIR.Lewis "Moose" GregoryDurham, North Carolina

I heartily second the inclusion of Sibwings' Saab Safir and Digital Aviation's Do 27 on this list. Both of them have astoundingly good virtual cockpits that really push the state of the art. I'd also add in Digital Aviation's Piper PA-31T Cheyenne as a great small turboprop VC with fast gauge refresh. I also like Dreamfleet's Bonanza and Baron, both of which have excellent VCs but are more demanding on my system. And FSD is doing "version 2" refits on some of their older planes, which greatly improve the virtual cockpits. I have their Porter, Navajo, and Seneca, and all three of those got much improved VC performance. The VC texturing's not quite up to state-of-the-art (especially on the Seneca) but they're still very good to fly from the VC.There aren't that many jetliner VCs with fast gauge refresh. The best one I've seen is Wilco/Feelthere's Embraer Legacy business jet...it's based off the ERJ-135 commuter airliner, and has a glass cockpit with a VERY nice virtual cockpit, fully clickable, and with pretty smooth displays. The LDS 767 is not glass-smooth but very flyable from the VC. The Dreamfleet 727 is my favorite jetliner but I tend to avoid flying from the VC as the gauge refresh is just a tiny bit jerky.As for freeware, I highly recommend Rick Piper's awesome Hawker Siddeley HS.748 turboprop, and David Maltby's BAC 1-11 and Hawker Siddeley HS.121 Trident Two and Three. Those are the best freeware large-aircraft virtual cockpits I've ever seen. For smaller stuff, try Milton Shupe's Beech 18 or Spartan 7W.Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

I read the review on the gauge pack from Friendly Panels (the one that includes all the pieces of a Bendix-King radio stack plus KLN90, KLN94, and Garmin 530 GPSes) and I was just curious if anyone had grabbed them, and what they thought of them. I'm going to be sticking with FS2004 long enough that a $16 or so investment for them might not be bad, the features look interesting (certainly better than the default radios that most freeware use for simplicity's sake).Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

I'm the same way. FSX looks nice, but I've got a 50 GB FS2004 installation right now. That's a LOT of crap to have to throw away or wait for/pay for upgrades. And my system isn't that great (Athlon XP 2500, 1 GB RAM, Geforce 6600GT 128MB 8x AGP) so I couldn't run FSX without chopping the sliders back so far as to not make it worth it.I'm not dumping on FSX or the people who decided to be early adopters. I'll upgrade. I just plan to take my time doing it because I'll have to have an entirely new system to run it well, so I might as well wait for Vista/DX 10 anyway.Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

Dang. I live in Richmond and know where all those stores are. Nice try. :)Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

Well, I'm having no trouble with it so far and I have a fairly weak system (Athlon XP 2500, Geforce 6600GT 128 MB AGP, 1 GB RAM). Try going into the configuration utility and setting the resolution of the gauges down a bit lower.Actually, one poster over on DA's forum said that his framerates went *up* when downloading and installing the high-res 32-bit textures, so that may be something else to try.The Do 27 is considerably more demanding than most other GA aircraft I've got (so is their Cheyenne) but I can still get good performance out of it by juggling settings in FS2004 and with the configuration utilities. And personally I think it's worth the work, it's an absolutely amazing add-on. It's got more depth and detail to it than virtually any other add-on aircraft other than the most detailed and realistic jetliners.Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

I'm sticking with FS2004 for a while, definitely. In my case, it's more that I'll have to save up and build an entirely new system to run FSX well. So since I have four-digits worth of payware on my 45+ GB FS2004 installation, and since my Athlon 2500 and my GF 6600GT creak a bit even running FS2004, I'll stick with what I've got until I can get ahead of the computer power curve and build myself something that'll really rock on FSX. Then I'll start switching things over--hopefully the first part of next year sometime, especially if some of my more favorite titles are fully usable in FSX by then.Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

I'm not a real-world pilot, but I have to say that IMO Carenado did a great job of simulating the mass of a 206 with their product. Especially when loaded, it really does have something of a "truck-like" feel to it. And even after months flying it around in the sim, I still have trouble getting the landing angle correct, and occasionally land nose-wheel first. I shudder to think how many virtual firewalls I've bent or buckled. That nose-down approach angle really takes some getting used to!The 182RG and 182Q have some "heft" to them, but nothing like the 206. The Stationair reminds me of an old International Travelall that a friend of mine used to have. Big, massive, heavy, powerful, built like a tank and handles about like one too. And it'll haul anything you want.Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

>John,>>All the cfg's have the fuel scalar at 1.00 now..none have the>.5 anymore. Update your cfg via the installer if yours still>shows this.For what it's worth, I downloaded and installed the PSS 757 today (4 September) at about 1800 EDT, and at least for the 757-200F with Pratts, I still have the 0.5 scalar. And that was with the automatic update of the .cfg files after installing all liveries. I'll update them again and see if it fixes itself, else I'll do it manually.EDIT: The 757-200F with P&Ws still had the 0.5 scalar, so I fixed it manually. The passenger -200 and -300 had 1.0.Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

I purchased and downloaded the Navajo v2 upgrade this morning. They added a "regular" PA-31-350 to the package in addition to the Colemill Panther conversion. Framerates are definitely improved, and the VC got a needed workover. VC gauge refresh is now extremely smooth, and the VC and 2D panel switches sync up a lot better on the overhead. The sounds didn't really sound much different to me.I've always liked the FSD Navajo a lot, and with the new VC, it's going back to the front of the line for my GA flying in FS2004. For US$18, I think it's very much worth it, especially since that gets you FSX compatibility, an extra model, and some pretty significant improvements.Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia

You can't take off with the APU running in the 727, if the APU's still on you'll get the takeoff configuration warning beeper. The APU intake is in the right main gear well so you wouldn't want to close the gear doors while it's running, hence the warning. That's what I would think of at first glance, assuming the trim was in the green band and the flaps were set to 5 or 15 degrees.Lewis "Moose" GregoryRichmond, Virginia