GolfMikeBravo

I'd like to see some of the older stuff: Lockheed Electra, Convair 580, Britannia/CL44, F27/FH227, etc.

I remember Froogle (I've been doing this flight sim stuff for a LONG time). He was certainly one of the YouTube flight sim pioneers, and always had informative videos. I wonder what he's up to these days? I think his real first name was Pete.

I recently checked the Carenado T182T, and was surprised to see all of the aircraft lights working correctly in MSFS 2024 (SU3). I am not in the SU4 beta though.

Looking forward to the Iris Simulations Pilatus PC-24 and the Milviz Learjet 60XR! Who knows when they will be released, though. Should be worth the wait! Cheers, Gerald

Got a chance to talk with Bob Hoover back in the early 1980's at an airshow at KSFB, where he performed with the P-51. Saw him perform the deadstick Shrike routine at KDAB a few years later. One heck of a pilot and interesting guy! I plan on picking up this aircraft this weekend, and attempting his airshow routine (if I can find the full routine online). I probably won't be as successful with the routine as he was! Gerald

I've also seen this when I first installed v3.1 with other aircraft, such as the Carenado Navajo and the RealAir Turbine Duke. Starting at night, then switching back to day seems to fix the problem. I have not installed P3D v3.2, so I don't know if this bug continues with the above aircraft in that version. Cheers, Gerald

I have seen this, too! During the daytime, it's a nice frosty light blue edge around all of the trees. Based on my experience with tree textures for FS9, my guess is that this is caused by the background color (transparent portion) used for the tree textures. I found through past experimentation that the optimum background color for tree textures was not black, gray or sky blue, but was an average of all of the colors used to create the tree. This seemed to minimize the effect seen above. I would like to test this with the Orbx HD trees textures, but have not had the chance yet. Cheers, Gerald

I had one of the Flight Master I yokes a couple of years ago. It was solidly built, but had limited movement (around 3" to 3.5" in pitch), did not always return to the same center value, and still stuck a bit in the pitch axis making it harder to make fine pitch adjustments on landing (it wasn't a ball bearing yoke). I'm unsure if they improve things for version II. In it's price range, I think that it is a good bargain. Gives you plenty of switches in a very solidly built product. It was just the yoke mechanism itself that I wasn't happy with. If you can afford it, I would step up to a PFC yoke with hall sensors instead of potentiometers, or a Yoko yoke. Cheers, Gerald

Kerry, Your name sounds familiar to me! Are you the same Kerry Gipe that created a Gulfstream back in the FS5 days? I really liked that airplane back then. I also thought that FS5 was approaching "as real as it gets" (Ha Ha). We would have been amazed back then at what we have now for flight simulation programs. Gerald

Geotechnical Project Manager here, otherwise known as a "dirt engineer". Who knew playing in the dirt as a child would lead to a career! Also, was a CADD Manager, Network Administrator and IT "helpdesk" guy back in the '90's (anybody remember Novell networks?). Cheers, Gerald

Frieg, It looks to me like the majority of the landclass in that area is actually the small fields (crops), and that many of the bands of forest occur due to the slope of the land. If the slope of the land is too great, P3D (and FSX) will replace the landclass texture with forest (or rock, or other textures) on the sloped portion of the terrain. This replacement is highly visible in mountainous areas, where many of the slopes are replaced with a rocky texture. If my memory serves me correctly, this is based on values obtained from the lclookup.bgl for each landclass type. I believe that the solution to your problem is to either use a different landclass product, or modify the landclass (change from crops to forest) in the affected areas, which would be a HUGE task. Cheers, Gerald

Woohoo! KSYR made the list! This airport is somewhat special to me, having acquired my PPL-SEL there (back in 1978). Actually, any of the airports listed would be great (although I would prefer KSYR first due to personal bias!). Please consider this as my vote - I do not have a twitter account, and don't want one. Cheers, Gerald

For me, the deciding factor for going from v2.4 to v3.0 was the transparent ATC window. If you don't use the default ATC, then this would not be of benefit to you. For 3.1, it was the additional HDR settings, and it seems to me that graphically, the weather is better looking in v3.1 (although I don't know why - could just be the improved HDR). All three versions have run well on my system - no OOM errors or CTDs. When upgrading, I have always uninstalled the previous version and performed a full install with the newer version. Cheers, Gerald

Rob, The throttles are fairly narrow, however, the two throttle levers are a bit taller than the spoiler lever. The spoiler lever is also angled outwards, which helps. I have never had an issue using the spoilers (I have the less expensive two engine jet unit, not the enhanced twin jet quadrant). Regards, Gerald

Rob, I can vouch for the quality of the PFC Throttle Quadrant Console! I have had one for about 2 years, and have many of their add-on throttles (3-lever TPM, 6-lever TPM, 2-engine jet quadrant and vernier (push-pull) TPM. The resistance is adjustable by turning the screw on the side of each quadrant. Also provides flap switch, gear switch, rudder trim (not used much - very sensitive) and TOGA button. Very happy customer here! Gerald

I used the Estonia Migration Tool to install the Navajo. When asked, I chose the option to install to FSX (which was then redirected by the migration tool to P3D). Everything seems to be working fine here in P3D v3. Gerald

Also take a look at the Aeroplane Heaven website, they too have one in the works! (although it looks like an older model, with the rounded wingtips). Gerald

How about KSYR (Syracuse Hancock International, NY) and KSFB (Orlando Sanford International, FL)! Would love to see these airports in greater detail. Gerald

Jay, You are correct about the screws for the TPM module. That's because the TPM has it's own potentiometer setup - you have to remove not only the outside lever-style quadrant, but also the six pushrod/potentiometer setup that the lever-style quadrants use. It sounds worse than it is. Still only takes a couple of minutes to swap from a lever style quadrant to the TPM module (one plug and four screws). I have not found it to be that inconvenient, and the ability to use both styles of quadrants is still a big plus for this unit. Once I install the TPM unit, I tend to stick with that for a while before switching back. Once I try out the Flight Link RCM unit, I'll post a mini-review in the forums. Gerald

Thumbs up for the PFC Throttle Quardant console! I fly a variety of aircraft (mostly general aviation types), and purchased four of the interchangeable throttles to go with it (including the push-pull Cessna style TPM set). Works great, and also gives you gear and flap switches (which work best when programmed through FSUIPC). I used to own one of their older desktop consoles, and was very happy with the way the yoke in it performed. Their newer yokes are even better, with improved bearings, etc. I will be ordering one of the Beech yokes soon, and will go with hall sensors instead of potentiometers (higher resolution and longer life). I have always ordered direct from PFC without any problems, since I live here in the US. Regarding rudder pedals, I used to have a set of the PFC Cirrus pedals and agree that the to brake springs are WAY too strong. I am currently using a set of CH Pro Pedals, but am looking at upgrading to a set of pedals from Flight Link (Rudder Control Module). Not cheap, but based on past experience with their products, should be very well made. They have 6 inches of travel, plus hydraulic damping for feel. Cheers, Gerald

Sennheiser PC 161 here, connected to a separate cheap sound card. I've had these for a few years (they've likely been replaced with a newer model now), and they work very well. Great noise cancelling microphone. Works well with speech recognition, even with a lot of other noise in the room (engine sounds from the speakers, etc.). Also sounds excellent for music listening. I highly recommend Sennheiser products! Cheers, Gerald

Following a weekend of research into the LOD Radius limitation of 6.5, I am convinced that increasing the value above 6.5 does absolutely nothing. There are discussions about this topic here and elsewhere (including the Prepar3D forums), and the majority consensus of the threads that I read indicate the limitation of 6.5. I hope LM addresses this issue in future releases so that we can finally make photoscenery in P3D as sharp as it was in FSX (using an LOD radius of 8.5 or 9.5, if you're hardware would support it). I believe that some are using a lower zoom factor (e.g., 0.4 instead of 1.0) which does create the appearance of sharper textures, but also creates a "fisheye" distortion and an unrealistic perception of speed in the outside views. Gerald

I'm currently using a Saitek Cessna Yoke, which I've had for a couple of years. I did remove one of the centering springs to improve the feel of the elevator axis (which voids the warranty, I believe). I did not consider the CH Eclipse. It's very odd looking, with the extra controls, etc. (does not resemble an aircraft yoke to me). After modification, I really like the feel of the Saitek, and the 180 degree travel on the aileron axis. I use a 100% silicone spray lubricant (available at most auto parts stores) on the shaft every 3 to 4 months, keeping the shaft travel very smooth. Cheers, Gerald

I have been flying with the popup EADI/EHSI and MFD opened. This is a bit unrealistic, and a pain in the neck if you change views (and have to keep opening the popup panels), however these popup panels are very clear and easy to read. The aircraft has nice handling characteristics and is enjoyable to fly, but extremely hard to read the annunciators and some of the gauges. I'm wondering if using TrackIR would improve the experience? I may have to break down and purchase TrackIR now! Cheers, Gerald

I'm having the same issue as BeaconSlash with an old set of CH pro pedals. I have to keep pressing the bottom of each pedal to eliminate the brake messages and slight braking. I suspect it's either normal wear and tear due to the age of the pedals, or a faulty potentiometer. I will likely replace the pedals soon with a new set. These old pedals have served me well for many years, and would definitely recommend them (if calibration and sensitivity are set through the CH Control Manager). Gerald