swj737

Thanks everyone for all the interest and comments! If this will make it any clearer. I was traveling south, and the aircraft was departing to the west from a northern runway and it "felt" like a gust hit the left side of the truck (the gust traveling in the same direction as the departing aircraft), so I do not think it would have been jet blast, as I would have felt that hit the right side of the truck. In relation to the aircraft I was behind and below by about 3/4 mile to a mile when the gust hit. I do not live in the Phoenix area but have visited a few times so many of you posters may be more familiar with the local meteorological conditions/phenomenon, however it was a clear day with temps in the 103-108 range.Steve

Hi All, I searched the forum and no one has asked this (that I could find), but has there been documented incidents involving the wake turbulence of an aircraft taking off and it's effect on automobile traffic on roads/highways near the end of the runway. Case in point, I was recently traveling down I-10 in Phoenix on my way to Sky Harbor when a US Airways 757 passed over the highway just after takeoff (at a right angle), ahead of me about 1/4 to 1/3 of mile (estimate), when I reached the point in the highway the aircraft had crossed over, it felt like I was hit by a very strong gust of wind in the same direction as the departing aircraft. I was traveling south, aircraft west. At the moment of the gust the aircraft was maybe 3/4 of mile (estimate) west of me. Could it have been wake turbulence, or was it just a gust of wind? If it was wake turbulence has an automobile accident ever been attributed to it? It was a strong sideways push and if caused by the aircraft I was glad it wasn't a 747. Just curiousThanksSteve

Wilbert, There is another way without using online or Radar Contact. Not that these methods aren't great, I've just not used them yet. The method I use is to create a flight plan in FS9, then convert it to an .rte file using pln2rte.exe (availble at AVSIM and on the web). With the FS9 flight plan loaded, load the converted flight plan (.rte) into the FMC. The routes will be the same, that is until FS9 vectors you off route near your destination. Using this method, it is almost certain your will not follow your FMC approach. You can of course use the ATC 'trick' of not contacting the center on a handoff, then you can probably follow the FMC approach all the way. I plan on trying online flying, since I've heard so much good about it, but until then I use this method. Steve

Hi Peter, I've seen the exact same thing flying the PMDG 747 from SFO to EWR. In my case I would do a direct route from SFO to EWR in the fs9 planner and program the same into the FMC. As you said, the flight tracks between the two were about 20nm off, and ATC would complain. I found two ways around this. Use the exact same plan for both (export, convert and upload the plan from fs9 planner to the PMDG - I use Pln2rte.exe), or just do the 'tune, but don't contact' the next center once you've reached your cruise altitude - fly the ATC route until you reach your cruise altitude and on the next hand off, tune the frequency, but don't contact center, you will not be dropped, then hit LNAV. Just contact the given center about 200 miles out from your destination and resume ATC. They may make you do a few silly turns when you re-contact them, I respond slowly and ignore the course changes, but they will then tell you to resume navigation. I also use the 'tune, but don't contact' method when flying the PMDG 747 loaded full with fuel. I like to follow the FMC altitude optimizations, but if I request altitude changes from fs ATC then I have to be in contact with them the whole route (and there are leaves to rake in the back yard), so using the method above I can avoid ATC, step climb as per the FMC and just make sure I get back to the filed cruise altitude prior to contacting ATC near the end of the trip.Pln2rte can be found in Avsim or many other places on the web.Steve

Hi all, I've looked around for a Continental livery (current colors, not the red meatball) for the PMDG 747. I know Continental no longer uses the 747, which I'm sure explains my failure to find one. I have my PMDG 737's in CO livery and also the Level-D 767 and would love to add a CO 747 to my hanger. Does anyone have plans for such a re-paint, or would someone be interested in creating one? I would be happy to discuss the creation of one if none are planned. Thanks!RegardsSteve

Thanks BobLee, I knew about the voice recorders looping, and I guess I should have thought about the unions, I can see where they would do that.

Hi All, I was wondering if the data contained in the Flight Data Recorder on airliners is accessible (without removing it). And if so does the Airline/FAA even download this data and check it for pilot performance reasons? Just a thought...ThanksSteve

Mike, I ran into this also. You have fill out page 2 of the RTE, then it should let you activate. I'm not in front of the my fs9 machine so I can't give precise instuctions, but the key is filling out the second page of RTE.SteveDell P4 2.51 GB RAMNvidia 6800Win XPPMDG AllLevel-D 767CS 707Ultimate Traffic

Thanks for info! I'm very pleased LVLD will be doing the 757. I did go to their website and ran through the forums and found reference to the project (shoulda checked first). It will be interesting to see what PSS comes up with. I had their 747 for fs2002 (fs2000?) and at the time it was great, but I heard it did not migrate well to newer versions of FS. I have not purchased anything from them since. I do have to thank PSS for introducing me to the FMC - it was my first and that led to a much better learning experience with PMDG and Level-D.Thanks again!Steve

Hi All, With all the great 3rd party aircraft that have come out for fs9 (and the anticipated ones), does anyone know / have heard of a B757 in the works - a la PMDG or LEVELD? I have found some real good freeware models and combined them with Lonny Payne's panels and that's great, but I was wondering if a payware model was in the works anywhere. I find the 757 a gorgeous craft (long legs and all) and even if I think it's one of the more uncomfortable aircraft (coach) I have flown on, as long as I'm in the front office I'd be real happy. She fits perfectly in the range between the PMDG 737's and the LevelD 767 and would work out perfectly from my little home field (EWR) on my cross Atlantic and Caribbean trips. I'd hate to see her go out of production without a fitting tribute via fs9.Thanks for any rumors...SteveP4 2.5nvidia 26001 GB RAMUltimate TrafficPMDG - AllLevelD 767

Thanks Johan! Your explaination is very informative and just what I was looking for. I appreciate your time in explaining it.Steve

Hi All, Sorry if this has been discussed, if so maybe you can link me to the topic. In the PMDG 737 products and Level-D 767, on the MCP is a button for FL CHG. What and how is this used? I have used the ALT dial for changing altitude before in conjunction with the VNAV button or used V/S to control altitude and rate, so I am curious when the FL CHG button should be used. I also noticed on some MCP's a CWS button, when is this typically used? I have been successfully flying the PMDG for awhile without using these buttons, hence my curiosity...Thanks for any guidance!SteveDell P4 2.51 Gig RAMnvidia 2600PMDG 737'sPMDG Beech 1900Level-D 767Ultimate Traffic

Hi All, I see the dual core pentiums are starting ship. Do you think FS9 would run any better on them as opposed to a single core chip at the same speed (core and FSB)? I've seen in other posts that the HT technology does not seem to have much affect on FS9, should I expect the same from dual core?ThanksSteve

Will do...Thanks Daryl!Steve

Hi All, Been out test driving the 767 (it's great), but have noticed something I have not seen before in other 3rd party craft. When I have VNAV and either LNAV or HDG SEL engaged, and the heading changes a lot (more then 20 degrees or so), the craft pitches up substantially, climbing several hundred to 1000 feet, then a nose down, some nagging from ATC, etc. In fact when using APP mode last night, the ship pitched up, then down lost the localizer, and sort of spazzed out on me(turned beyond the localized, and began circling around again). I have not seen this behavior before, but wonder if that is what the bank limiter is for (never used it). Is this realistic? Should I use the bank limiter? Still learning...ThanksSteveDell 8250P4 2.531 GB RAMNVidia 2600PMDG 737's & Beech 1900DCS 707DF 727Ultimate Traffic

Hi all, After purchasing the Level-D 767 I feel it is time to get into real procedures. In the past with PMDG 737's I've let FS ATC handle the departures and approaches (the FMC would then take over), but I'm getting curious about using real approaches and departures. My base of operations is EWR and I'd like to know if there are published routes available. Also do commercial products like simplates contain this information? I really do not know a lot about flying these procedures, so any helpful hints in flying them and/or creating them would be very much appreciated.ThanksSteveDell 8250 w/P4 @ 2.5nvidia 46001 GB RAMPMDG 737's & 1900DCS 707DF 727Ultimate Traffic

Stan - Fun ain't it! I waited until it was snowing hard in NJ then took the PMDG Beech 1900D to Allentown VFR from Newark, no problems getting into Allentown, so I took a ride up to Albany - Zero vis on approach (1500' on down), at about 100 feet I saw the top of the terminal building - oops! - climbed out and headed to Newark, switched to a heavier plane in flight (PMDG 737) and when I was close enough asked Newark for a full stop - They said "No" - I was flying VFR and they would only handle IFR. So I quickly filed IFR and started down. At 1500' I got 0/0. I was on the numbers and the only thing I could see was the landing lights reflecting off something (the runway it turns out). Autoland is a marvelous thing! I could not even see enough to taxi around.The only problem was that when I'm above 1500 feet it's a beautiful day. I'm using default FS9 weather (download real weather). It sounds like Active Sky can simulate weather better at altitude. I would like to get away from the 'nice' days at altitude if another system is better, do you recommend Active Sky?SteveDell 8250P4 2.5 - 800 FSB1 GB RAMWXP HomeUltimate Traffic 75%PMDG 737-allPMDG Beech 1900DCS 707DF 727

I tend to do flights between 2-3 hours, up and down the east coast, or to the caribbean (I base myself at KEWR). In those cases I'll fly in real time but using one of the methods described here already - Start out and climb to cruise altitude, after reaching cruise altitude wait for the next handoff, acknowledge and tune in it, but do not contact the next center. You'll hear ATC chatter for a awhile until you are 'out of range' then it will quiet down. Once I'm within 200 nm of destination I contact the center displayed in the window - no cancellations. I have noticed however on very long flights - over the Atlantic/Pacific, etc that if I use the above method and use acceleration, when I drop out of warp and then contact the local center (near my destination), I will get bogus vectors from ATC. Usually 2, and then a "proceed on course". At first I was doing as they said, but I found if you acknowledge the request to turn, but don't, acknowledge the next request, but don't do it, they usually happen fast enough and your "proceed on course" comes up next and everything is fine.I never fly at a rate above 4x acceleration, I find at 2x and 4x you can go to spot view and do some decent sight seeing. I flew from Phuket to Guam recently in CS707 and found out how unfamiliar I was was with Southeast Asia/Indonesia. If I stay with the aircraft during 'silent running' I'll spend time doing fuel and nav calcs, but on the long ones I'll go do something else. I once (early in fs2002) had set up a flight to Sky Harbor, got all set up at altitude and then left. I fell asleep and when I woke up I had found the aircraft had reached Phoenix, circled at altitude until the fuel was gone, then spiraled in to crash, it took me few minutes to figure out what happen (perfect circles on the moving map gave me a clue...)Have fun, it's a big world out there!SteveDell 8250P4 2.53, 533 fsb1 Gig RAMGeForce 4 4600FSAutoStartCS707DF727PMDG737(600,700,800 & 900)PMDG Beech 1900DUltimate Traffic

Thanks for replies, it makes sense to apply a new scheme during maint. I just thought it odd to be spending money on indirect revenue generating programs when the industry (for the most part) is claiming poverty, but if it is rolled into an existing cost I can understand that. However using that model would mean that it would take quite awhile for the entire fleet to be painted, and it seems United and Delta have changed schemes more then once recently (last 5 years?), so do these fleets exist in more than 2 liveries?Thanks again and Happy Holidays!Steve

Hi all, Couldn't think of where else to post this question. Does anyone know about how much it costs to paint an airliner, or entire fleet? It sounds expensive and with bankruptcies, union bargaining and downsizing going on (US Air, Continental, United, etc), I would think re-paints would be low on the priorty list. I have seen re-paints of United, Delta, Northwest. Is it just that aircraft need re-painting periodically (as maint.) and they put the color schemes on then or is it someone in sales and marketing with a "great idea"? Just curious.ThanksSteve

Christian, Are you accelerating the sim during a long flight? I would get those messages also, and I asked in a different thread the same thing you are, and I was using 2X and 4X sim rates during part of the flight. The answer came back that it was caused by the sim acceleration. If you are, just set the sim back to normal (1X) and after a few minutes you will see the fuel remaining start to climb on the PROG page of the FMC. After I was told that was the problem, I did another trip and did not accelerate the sim and I got no messages.Hope this helpsSteve

Hi Mike, What you say makes sense, I had three lessons and I think the instuctor (he was old enough to teach Orville and Wilbur to fly), was trying to get me to solo before the end of the day, He was giving me control of the craft on take-off, had me try to land once, and kept screaming "God gave you feet to work the rudder pedals!". I was trying to go about it systematically, straight and level, then shallow turns, understand the glide profile, etc. but he kept pushing me to do steeper turns, and I think I was just too unfamilar with the craft and concepts to try to master the craft in such a short time. Maintaining the proper attitude in a turn was the most difficult, he kept screaming that I was about to stall (nose too high, or turn to steep) and they were anything but coordinated. The task that petrified me the most was the take-off, the field (north of Reading PA, cannot remember the name) had a runway that started on a rise, then sloped downhill, then rose again), so trying to stay a few feet off the ground while the tow plane gained speed meant actually flying up and then down and then up again. I was well aware of the danger I was to the tow plane and trying to concentrate on my position and the tow at the same time was nerve racking. After I told the instuctor (several times) that all I wanted to do was be able to maintain stable flight and if time allowed work on turns, but he had a different agenda, I told him "no take-offs!", but as soon as the wings caught wind during take-off, he would let go of the controls and yell "you have the aircraft!". Near the ground (on take-off) I found myself over correcting, and in the air, un-coordinated (the piece of yarn on the windsheild was almost never vertical in a turn).I think a little ground school before hand would have helped, your explanations make a lot of sense and the only craft I was already famailar with were light powered aircraft (flying with friends).Thanks AgainSteve

Hi All, This may bit a tad bit long, but I was sparked to write due to a post in the MSFS Forum concerning coordinated turns in jets. I took three glider lessons a couple of years ago and being an avid aviation enthusiast, I was excited at the prospect. But in doing so I learned that either I was totally inept at controlling the craft, or that the instructor was a total buffoon with a death wish. I have been at the controls of Cessna (150, 172) and a Piper Cherokee but did not use the rudders when flying those, I never did takeoff or land a powered aircraft. I was so disappointed in my inability to control a glider that I felt I was destined to fly a Dell for the rest of my life. After reading the post in the MSFS forum it seems that rudder use in big craft is minimal and not too taxing in smaller GA craft. I do have rudder pedals for MSFS and have flown the Cessna

Thanks Max!, I started looking for ways to cut back on load and fuel in order to prevent those messages, but now I will just ignore them.RegardsSteve

Hi All, In a recent flight in the 737-700 from SFO to EWR I created a High Alitude Airway plan in FS9, then deleted a lot of waypoints (ones that were already on specified airways) to reduce the number of waypoints I needed to enter into the FMC. I save the flight plan and activated it, then when I enter the shorter list of waypoints into the FMC, many of the previously deleted waypoints (from the fs9 flight plan) show up in the legs section of FMC. It kind of 'filled in the blanks' for me. At first I thought this was a cool kind of shortcut, but on closer inspection I found the routes where slighly different, the FMC route was about 30+ miles south of the FS9 planned route. When LNAV is engaged, after a few minutes, ATC tells me turn onto a heading that would put me back onto the expected fs9 route. Once getting there, re-activation of LNAV would direct the craft back to the FMC's route. I can 'shut-up' ATC so I'm not bothered, but I'm wondering how the FMC get's the original waypoints into it's flight.Also, when fuel planning with the FMC, I go through the Load Manager, compare it against the estimated fuel for the flight plan, give myself some extra for winds and taxi's, but on longer flight (>2 hours), I do get a lot of INSUFFCIENT FUEL messages. they usually go away in the last 3rd of the flight, I've always had enough fuel to make the flight, even more than the reserves. I do usually accelerate the sim to 2X or 4X for a portion of the flight. Does a higher sim rate affect the realtime fuel computations of the FMC.This product is so great I forget it's a sim - total immersion!SteveDell 2.4, 1 GB RAM, Geforce4 4800