oldbear

You weren't being 'insulting' at all. Just voicing your surprise at another person's similarly valid opinion. It's no big deal to me that I have to spend a few moments keying in a plan. But if it is to others, so be it... Personally, I can't understand why anyone who's been waiting so long for a decent airbus doesn't just go ahead and snap this one up. It's like turning up at an oasis in the desert and refusing a drink because they haven't got sparkling water, only still. But that's just my humble opinion. No offence meant. Each to his own.. etc

Oh come on skipper, tell us a bit more about how she handles! ^_^ We won't tell.... Anyway, I should think anyone who's bought this one is bound to buy the other one. :lol:

Well, I've used Active Sky for ages, and I hadn't heard of Opus until a couple of weeks ago. I tried the demo and was amazed. I've since purchased it and I think it's absolutely astounding. I use it with Flight Environment textures which I think gives it the best look. As an example of how realistic it can be, I was flying around northern Scotland the other day in the default F/A-18, blatting along valleys and around hills at very low level, trying to keep below a solid overcast that in places extended almost to ground level. Once I lost sight of the ground I blasted upwards through the blanket of cloud and for a while had absolutely no visual cues at all. I was totally relying on instruments. Then I popped out of the top and into bright sunshine. Just below me was a solid layer of billowing clouds as far as the eye could see, and no sight of the ground. It was the most realistic weather I'd ever flown in. I also get none of the 'cloud popping' and slowness to load that I used to get with other weather programs. All in all I'm incredibly impressed with Opus. Ian

Rants??? Some people have bought a new flightsim toy and they're comparing notes about it on a flightsim forum. Why's that embarrassing to you?

I have a similar FPS problem. Strange thing is it wasn't so bad yesterday, but today I was hovering around 12 FPS at UK2000 Edinburgh and then I had a CTD as a free extra! ^_^ And I also preferred the Airbus X VC, which to me looked sharper. I'm having various other problems too, but as I said before these may be down to me not setting it up properly. It does seem to need a bit of coaxing to get into the air, even at light TOW - I've set my controls as per instructions but there seems to be an overly long lag between sidestick input and rotation. More than was apparent with Airbus X at any rate. Not sure if that's how it really is, although once airborne I do like the feel of the FBW.

"T.O. Config" ! Thanks for pointing that out. And I thought she was trying to increase my caffeine intake...:-)

Yes maybe. I'm underwhelmed by it to be honest. There are all sorts of things which don't seem to be quite right. Some may be bugs, others may be user error on my part. But it's academic now as I've just thrown my pc out of the window in a fit of rage as I couldn't work out how to shut the bloody robotic flight attendant up... "Tea oh Coffee?" "Tea oh Coffee?" "Tea oh Coffee?" "Tea oh Coffee?" "Tea oh Coffee?" :lol:

So do I. But that mad kid had access to a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns that his mum had in the house legally because she thought Doomsday was coming... That's the thing I have trouble understanding. I sincerely hope that America finds a way forward to some form of non-blanket, sensible form of gun control that makes THAT particular scenario less likely to occur.

Including yours....

Well I definitely think I must be going mad. If this isn't precisely the time to bring up the 'politics' of universal gun ownership then when is? I'm amazed that it's still regarded as such a sacred cow. And with such attitudes you're right. Nothing will change.

Exactly. So maybe this ghastly event will lead to a fresh debate as to whether an historical precedent established over two centuries ago has any validity in a modern society changed beyond all recognition. That's my opinion, and my hope.

Truly dreadful. And sad too is the refusal of some people to accept that ready access to guns of all kinds can only mean that such incidents will be more prevalent. Massacres happen elsewhere of course. And you don't need a gun. But as a Brit living in a country where the wretched things are generally inaccessible I can only wonder at what it is that convinces so many in US society that it's a good thing that almost anyone can have one. After the Dunblane massacre in this country we changed the law and banned domestic ownership of handguns. Could such a move ever happen in the US? I'm not being 'political' or seeking to stir knee-jerk reactions. I'm just so saddened about this tragedy. Surely it's right to hope that something positive might yet come from it? Ian

Me too. I really love the 337. The only one I'm tempted to get in this sale is the Baron, but I've read some very conflicting reviews concerning its flight model. IS it ok? Ian

The Xmas sales are good and bad. Most of the products I've been least pleased with have been impulse buys during the sales. It's difficult not to fall into the trap sometimes... :lol: Ian

REX and the PMDG 737NGX

Popcorn? Strong coffee, surely.. zzzzzzzzz

I've been away from FSX for a bit and come back to find the only two I'm interested - the A320s - still haven't been released. I didn't know ORBX England had happened. That's a nice surprise, although it appears to be getting mixed reviews. The Aerosoft Twin Otter should be out soon, no?

The A380 looks like it's going too slow, because it's so big! I see them come in over London regularly, and they seem so stately, more like an airship than an aeroplane. For me it has that Concorde effect - you have to look up, although being so quiet you've a lot more chance of being surprised by it. Just love that aircraft... Ian

It makes you a better person: It keeps you stuck in front of a PC, well out of the way, thus pleasing other members of your family and bringing harmony to the household. Participation in AVSIM and other forums encourages successful social interaction and pleasant discourse. Tweaking FS and learning how to fly complex aircraft stimulates the brain, increases your IQ, and helps delay the onset of degenerative diseases. FS is cheaper than many hobbies, so you have more to spend on other people and other things, making you popular and well-regarded. It makes you a worse person: It keeps you stuck in front of a PC, well out of the way, thus irritating other members of your family and causing unholy rows. Participation in AVSIM and other forums encourages aggression, impatience and childish behaviour. Tweaking FS and learning how to fly complex aircraft baffles the brain, causing frustration and high levels of stress which ultimately can lead to an early death. It's more expensive than many hobbies, so you spend less on others which causes further hostility and possibly contributes to marriage break-up. Ian

You should be ok. Amazon has FSX for a tenner right now, which must be affordable, so why not just take the plunge anyway and see what you think? ^_^ Ian

Do you get PC Pilot magazine? I always enjoy their tutorial flights from various regions of the world. Recently they had a trip from Las Vegas to Reno, which inspired me to get GEX so that my screenshots looked like theirs! The desert scenery is dramatic, and the flight a reasonably short one. It's amazing how when faced with an entire world to explore, we struggle to think of somewhere to fly, so I appreciate these sort of articles. Ian

Good post Matthew And if you or anyone else ever feels like volunteering for some more structured acts of kindness - and maybe even helping to save a life - may I recommend St John Ambulance: http://www.stjohn.org.nz Here in the UK it's 'Save a Life September', and I'm supposed to be spreading the word... :smile: http://www.sja.org.uk Not that I'm trying to recruit of course.... :biggrin: Best wishes Ian

:lol: I was thinking more "Lord of The Rings" and that nasty chap who lives in Mordor...

Mike I don't like GA aircraft very much in the sim because I've flown them for real and it all just seems very flat by comparison. I much prefer airliners, and the more automation the better. Why? Because to me it seems that reality and simulation come that little bit closer. Of course, you've just as much of a gulf between hand flying a real airliner and a sim one, but the fact that in many cases the real things are flown fully automatic from climbout to landing by basically pressing a variety of buttons in the right order means that you can at least simulate that particular aspect with some degree of realism. I don't sim that much these days anyway, but I do still like the fact that I can load a well designed and very accurate simulated aircraft (lately the NGX) and take a plane load of virtual passengers to a foreign destination using more or less the same procedures that a real flight crew would use. I usually fly from the UK to European destinations. My favourite bases are London City, Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton and Edinburgh. Destinations might be Lisbon, Frankfurt, Berlin, Rome, Oslo amongst others - places where I've got some decent scenery as default airports are a definite no-no! Like Rafal though, I much prefer the Airbus and I'm hoping to use either the Aerosoft or FSL product pretty much exclusively once they arrive. Naturally, that doesn't appeal to everyone, but that's where I find myself right now! All the best Ian

I'm pretty underwhelmed by the news, to be honest. Like others, I've never needed MS support for anything. And we've known that FSX is the last of an illustrious line. But I'm sure this will be the cause of much wailing and gnashing of teeth, for a week or two at least.