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gbalean

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Everything posted by gbalean

  1. Something else that may or may not be of interest is that the part about the ILS for runway 36C didn't actually need to be read back. This is because it was prefixed with the word 'expect'. You don't need to read back expectations, only assignments. Expectations are extra information offered by the controller to help the pilots with forward planning. So in the scenario you gave, KLM602 would ideally say "Descend and maintain FL070, TOPPA1A arrival, KLM602".However, the controller needs to assign a runway when assigning the STAR clearance. So AMS CTR would have actually said "KLM602, STAR clearance a TOPPA1A arrival, runway 36C expect ILS approach, descend and maintain FL070". Note how the runway is stated before the word expect, because it must be assigned with a STAR clearance (needs to consist of arrival name, runway and a level). KLM602 would then say "TOPPA1A arrival runway 36C, descend and maintain FL070, KLM602".Captainklm also asked about the order the altitude / arrival / runway is given in the clearance, and yes it doesn't matter how it's given or read back in practice. However the correct pattern is arrival, runway and level as I mentioned above.I just thought this would be a good example to point out how precise aviation phraseology is designed to be. It is always a little concerning listening to liveatc feeds from the US, where the phraseology used is a lot more free and in my opinion leads to a lot of ambiguities and the potential for safety to be compromised. Of course on VATSIM this isn't an issue, so pilots really don't need to be thinking about the order in which assignments are provided by ATC - just parrot it back! Everyone's been through the phase of not knowing what to say, so just get online and you'll get the hang of it in no time.
  2. Hi rstough,It is true that I probably shouldn't have made a premature statement about Essential prior to its release. I am a great fan of REX and will definitely be downloading Essential, however I was hoping I'd find other interested people here when the topic was brought up because all three of my posts at the REX forum along with the Activesky forum seemed to fall on deaf ears (although a REX moderator did reply to point out that there are flight simulator limitations). Perhaps something can be changed before the product comes out.I say you neglected to mention that the data is sparse because of the recent claims that REX will have the most realistic flight simulator weather engine. There are always going to be issues with interpolation, however in my opinion (as I also made clear in my previous post - I'm not making accusations) radiosonde data is inadequate.I am unsure why you'd say that it is an absurd thought that the GFS does a better job of handling the gaps in the data - the GFS is a global computer model that synthesises many different data sources to come up with a model of the atmosphere, of course including radiosonde data. This is surely superior to using only radiosonde data and interpolating in between. It would also enable you to make use of the best available guess of what the weather is in areas where radiosonde data is not present - this is my issue in Australia, where neither REX nor Activesky are accurate.Yes the GFS is a forecast and not actual data. However, the actual radiosonde data is only available from the thin column of the atmosphere through which the balloon traverses, and only at the particular time at which it does so. At any other location and at all other times you would have to make an interpolation. Perhaps I am missing something, because I really don't see how this would be better than using a forecast model that is based on multiple sources and has been interpolated by supercomputers. Most importantly, it is freely available and is just waiting for you to use it. Sure, the experts do notice inaccuracies in forecast models, but there'd be even more when using just one data source. This is why the GFS and other grib data sources are used by the aviation industry. They are the meteorological "Best guess".Apologies for the tone of my original post, suffice to say I was very surprised REX had taken this approach. I am a weather fanatic and really want REX to be the best it can possibly be. It is great that Essential will be free, and it's important to emphasise that you produce quality products and are very generous in providing free updates. REX is also significantly cheaper than its nearest competitor. However, could you please reconsider your approach to weather data, perhaps not for Essential but for a later update.Thanks for taking the time to reply,
  3. Been looking at these products myself recently. I've been a long time user of REX, and before that the original versions of Activesky.In my opinion REX is great for graphics, but it has a mediocre weather engine. I've made several posts about it elsewhere recently, but I think it's important to note that those people hoping Essential will bring REX up to AS2012 standard would appear to be mistaken. The REX 'Essential' update will see REX use radiosonde (weather balloon) data instead of forecast data, which they claim will give REX the most realistic weather. However, they neglect to mention this data is very sparse - there will be a LOT of interpolation. Balloons only get sent up from relatively few locations, and even then launches are very infrequent. So there will be no oceanic data, and even continental winds aloft would be interpolated and inaccurate. This will not be as good as AS2012, which uses the NOAAs Global Forecast Model (GFS), the same source used by realworld flight planning.It definitely seems that AS2012 is the only product to have accurate winds aloft, using the 'DWC' mode to directly inject GFS data into the simulator. However, even AS2012 isn't that great because cloud and precipitation data appears to be based off ground-based observations, mainly METARs. This is completely inadequate, particularly in oceanic airspace where there are no METARs or across a country such as Australia where there is a lot of... nothingness... in between weather stations!I am unsure why these specialist weather products have been developed for years and years and they still haven't come up with realistic weather models.So to summarise, get REX if you want amazing graphics, but know that the weather engine is suboptimal and this probably won't change with their Essential update. If you want realistic winds aloft so you can plan your flights with pinpoint accuracy using a tool such as the soon-to-be-released PFPX, get AS2012. This clearly has the better weather engine, although if you're flying anywhere outside the US you're very likely to notice large discrepancies between the simulation and realworld cloud cover and precipitation. The bottom line is both products are mostly for eye candy and a rough approximation of weather, and neither are very realistic.
  4. In a post by Ryan a while ago. Or maybe I'm imagining things
  5. PMDG have already said their secret project isn't an aircraft. We'll just have to keep guessing.
  6. There shouldn't be an issue with METARs not updating. METARs are simply too few and far between to create an adequate representation of global weather. This is obviously why I haven't received a response to my thread asking for more information on a related topic (http://forum.avsim.net/topic/360716-accuracy-of-winds-aloft/). Despite being in the weather business for years, it seems both AS2012 and REX haven't picked the correct sources to base their weather models off. Unlike REX, Activesky is apparently using the NOAA's free GFS grib data for winds aloft, yet these discrepancies in weather on continents other than the US seem to suggest they are not bothering to extract cloud and precipitation data from the same or similar data sources. Surely Activesky should be using a combination of all sources to create the best representation. Until then, it's going to be pouring down rain in Australia, or in oceanic airspace where there are no METARs, and Activesky won't show any significant weather due to interpolation between ground based observations that are few and far between. Quite disappointing.
  7. As a prospective future AS2012 customer, I would like to know how accurately it is able to replicate winds and temperatures aloft.I formerly used Activesky for weather. For the last couple of years I defected to REX due to its graphics, and have been quite disappointed by how inaccurate the winds aloft are, sometimes being as much as 180 degrees out. As you are probably aware, REX is coming out with their Essential overhaul which they describe as having the most realistic winds aloft in the FSX weather market due to their use of radiosonde data. However, I made this post (http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/forums/index.php?/topic/15252-rex-essential-feature-4/page__view__findpost__p__105967) in their forum regarding my concerns about the accuracy of using radiosonde data. The response from one of their moderators seems to suggest the hype about them having the most realistic winds aloft is in fact hogwash.I've done a bit of searching today and found that AS2012 does appear to use the GFS to source its winds and temperature aloft, which is surely an improvement upon the very sparse world data coverage that would be available in REX using radiosonde data. What I would like to know is whether this translates into accurate winds in FSX. As the REX moderator pointed out, there are limitations within FSX. I note Pete Dowson's old post with regards to the older versions of Activesky (http://forum.simflight.com/topic/63623-fsx-winds-aloft-something-is-messing-with-them/page__p__420208__fromsearch__1#entry420208), as well as issues users have experienced with winds/temp in the AS2012 DWC mode (http://forum.avsim.net/topic/359603-dwc-incorrectly-interpolating-temps-on-climbdescent, http://forum.avsim.net/topic/357540-as2012-strange-temperature-and-wind-reading-against-atis-metar-and-xgauge/ and http://forum.avsim.net/topic/354118-is-ase-weather-wrong/page__p__2180323__hl__winds%20aloft__fromsearch__1#entry2180323).What settings/compromises are required in order to have AS2012 accurately replicate winds and temperatures aloft?Thanks,
  8. I see your expensive cockpit peripherals and raise it:http://www.flightdecksolutions.com/ac_type.php?id=8The ultimate! Little bit expensive though...
  9. Thanks Robert for being open and frank in your posts regarding Flight and the current intentions of PMDG.It is a shame to learn that Flight will not be what we were hoping it to be, although I can understand the approach Microsoft has taken to some extent - if I were to think back to being a teenager, I wouldn't half mind Flight. However, there are certainly more 'exciting' games out there these days, so I guess it's success really depends on whether their new target market will be kept entertained by the arcade format and downloadable content. It's a shame they are so eager to implement their own content marketplace and turn it into a game, because the performance and graphics improvements would probably have encouraged many users to make the switch.In any case, the information you have shared with us helps the community to continue investing our time and money towards FSX with confidence, at least for the time being.
  10. :( Good one Rob.I must also thank you for all the laughs over the past few days, Mark!
  11. Dear Rob and the team,With the news overnight that Microsoft Flight will almost certainly not provide for the survival of our community, I was wondering if/when you will be providing information concerning what you see as the future of flight simulator, and what direction PMDG is likely to take. Has this decision already been made, or does it depend on what MS Flight looks like when it is released? I understand you may be limited by the NDA, though perhaps you might be able to tell us when you are likely to make an announcement about these issues.Already several developers have made comment on the alpha process and have mentioned the loss of Microsoft cooperation with addon developers almost two years ago, most recently John from Orbx. Does this also hold true for the PMDG team's involvement with Flight? It seems many developers are getting behind Prepar3d v2 as it should be an improved version of the FSX engine. What simulator platform(s) will PMDG likely be supporting in the future?As one of the most important companies to the hardcore flight simulation community, and one of the most loved by that community, I feel it is very important that PMDG helps to steer the community in the direction it will best be served, preferably in consultation and cooperation with the other major stakeholders.Thankyou in anticipation,
  12. I too feel the need to vent my frustration at what a let down Microsoft Flight has revealed itself to be. Here is my open letter to Microsoft:"I've literally grown up with flight sim, introduced to FS4 by my dad and buying every edition since. I've followed blimps around Meigs field, learnt about ILSs by flying through the hoops in the sky, discovered VOR navigation, joined the freeware community, bought peripherals, spent thousands in countless PC upgrades just to be able to run FS, joined the VATSIM online flying community, been amazed by the quality of payware addons from the likes of PMDG and Orbx and even got my real PPL. After 20 years of being an incredibly loyal customer, you have chosen to (female dog) slap me just like the thousands of other loyal fans out there, in the hopes of gaining a new market. Surely this market would have found a way to enjoy flight sim by now if they were actually going to. There IS no Flight without the addon community making higher quality scenery, aircraft and utilities than MS could ever have the time to create. There IS no Flight without online networks such as VATSIM and Ivao. There IS no Flight with a microtransaction system governed by Microsoft. There is only an arcade game that your new market will find mildly amusing for the first 30 minutes, before telling all their friends how boring it is. Pff MS Flight! More like MS FSlight."Feel free to share your theories on how this product has gone so wrong. Personally, I can't believe that they supposedly frequent this forum, yet seem to have completely ignored any of our wishes. I'm pleased to hear they've improved computer performance, the flight models to some small extent and scenery wrapping on terrain relief. Even so, the Flight graphics are still way behind the times. However the big kick in the jewels is the complete snub to addon developers, and the microtransaction system through which they'll rob us blind. We all know the quality of the products they could produce will always be of lesser quality than could be produced by the vast addon community we have assembled at Avsim and in the wider FS community. The same goes for any online multiplayer communities - there is a large NEED for independent communities such as VATSIM and Ivao. This will kill the FS community. What on earth were they thinking.Looking forward to CES, so that Tom and the addon developers can vent their spleens too.
  13. Had the same thing the other day with SP1b, despite gear up, FDs both on, LNAV & VNAV armed prior to T/O.Remedy was to toggle the AP disconnect bar. After having done nothing else other than this, AP then decided to remain on. Hmm.
  14. Christian and Judith have apparently been working steadily on PFPX and are aware of the desire for NGX-specific profiles for both PFPX and TOPCAT. TOPCAT will be able to be used in conjunction with PFPX as AJ said, integrating into the planning sequence if you are an owner of both products. That doesn't mean you need TOPCAT to use PFPX fully though of course. It's going to be amaaazing in my opinion, especially the ETOPS capabilities, and the integration of realworld high quality GRIB weather data into the calculations :))
  15. You can also fix this by changing the setting "A/T Manual Override" from "IN HOLD/ARM MODE ONLY" to "NEVER" (p56 Introduction pdf) so the CH Yoke doesn't accidentally override the autothrottle.
  16. I have a 5770 too and have dismal frame rates, and have tried everything too... Literally everything. Yes that includes reinstalling, drivers, shader mod, fps limiter, defrag, ******* and other tweaks, overclocked to 4GHz.... Contemplating getting another GPU.
  17. Thanks a lot Harm! That last one looks awesome :) Great screen Mark!
  18. Looks like you took her through a spray tan, Harm :) In my most humble of opinions (since I haven't yet tried to modify this), the backlighting needs to be a lot lighter and more yellow, and the flood light just needs to be more yellow. Horses for courses though I suppose.
  19. Dear PMDG, I've been flying to some airfields with minima at around 3000ft. It can take a very long time right clicking / scrolling up to this value when setting the minima. Could you please implement a means of increasing the increment the longer the mouse is clicked / the more vigorously one scrolls? Thanks,
  20. Please share your settings once you come up with some that you like :) I'd like to make mine a warmer colour too but don't have time to experiment until the end of the week.
  21. Dear PMDG, Congratulations again on the release of an amazing aircraft. When on approach and flying by hand, I like to deselect the speed mode (MCP SPD) and manually control the throttles whilst still keeping A/T ARM on. This apparently provides some degree of stall protection. However, in the NGX I am unable to use my joystick's (CH yoke; configured via FSX) throttle lever until I also turn the A/T ARM switch off. Note that after I turn MCP SPD off I can manually adjust the throttles using the F keys on the keyboard, just not using the throttle lever on my joystick. Is there a way I can configure my joystick so that this works? If not, perhaps could you fix this in a future service pack? Thanks,
  22. I have also experienced this on my first and second flights - during a VNAV climb on autopilot, it spontaneously went into CWS and started climbing like a rocket on two occasions, seemingly unassociated with wind gusts. Very hard to get the nose down and try and reengage autopilot at this stage. Had to give full forward yoke also. System:Win 7 pro 64-bit, fsx sp2, i5-750 @3.8, 5770, 4gb ddr3, CH yoke and pro pedalsOnly other flight sim products installed are REX and some other PMDG aircraft. Note however that REX was not activated, and I was using the default FSX 'fair weather' theme Also unsure whether it's actually the NGX or weather... Will investigate further.
  23. Downloading too :) After all that drama! Thanks be to PMDG. Amen.
  24. EMV is talking on the AoA teamspeak server answering a few questions.
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