hseilz747

Would be great if it were released by January, because that's when my rating on the real bus starts ^_^ The PMDG NGX was definitely good enough to practice for my old type, so I have high hopes of this project... Holger

A neat trick I happily use also in the real world: mnemonics!When lining up with the runway, think "T I T S". No, not what you're thinking anyway! ;-)TIME (Note T/O time, start the clock)INSTRUMENTS (Final check... Rwy Hdg? Altimeter? A/THR armed if desired?)TRANSPONDER (to Mode C or TA/RA)STROBES and Landing LtsIn a prop, when entering the traffic pattern, think "G U M P S"GAS (Fuel Selector, usually BOTH)UNDERCARRIAGE (Gear Dn)MIXTURE (Red Lever Full Fwd)PROP (Blue Lever Full Fwd)SAFETY (Landing Lts On, Seatbelts secure)In a jet, on final, when 500' above, briefly run through those items - no mnemonic, but still there should be some rhythm to it :)STABILIZED (Speed, descent rate, engines spooled up)RUNWAY CLEAR (No other traffic entering/exiting)CLEARANCE RECEIVED (Did you actually hear "CLEARED TO LAND"? If in doubt, last chance to verify now!)GEAR (Check those green lights)FLAPS (As above)And there are dozens more out there. One thing to remember, though: these are not designed to replace the good old checklists, but to enhance them!CheersHolger

Congrats and good job, Marc!Did you have a chance to talk about Flightsim in the FQ Interview? ;-)See you in BRE then, I guess!Holger(373. NFF)

15. Tinmouse 737-200 by Bob Scott16. Real Environment Pro by Tim Fuchs17. FS Recorder by Matthias NeusingerAll downloadable from the AVSIM Library

Really? Well, excellent :) Just edited my message and added three more, might want to try these too..Regards,

Hi Marius!These are the usual cfg entries I like to play with. That said, haven't tried any additional "tweaks" for quite a while now and blurries seem no factor at all. Well, in FS9 at least...MAX_UNLIMITED_VIS=48280(DISPLAY.Device....)TriLinear=1(DISPLAY)UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=24TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=240(TERRAIN)TERRAIN_ERROR_FACTOR=100.000000TERRAIN_MAX_VERTEX_LEVEL=20TERRAIN_DEFAULT_RADIUS=4.500000TERRAIN_EXTENDED_RADIUS=4.500000TERRAIN_EXTENDED_LEVELS=3Essentially these are the result of some trial'n error on my rig. Just give them a try. Your system looks like it should be able to handle FS9 nicely. Don't forget to activate Antialiasing and Filtering from within your graphics driver.Happy Easter!Holger

Hi Marty!Sounds strange indeed. Excluding all external factors (FSUIPC or something lake that) from the equasion, have you checked that you're actually running on both engine generators, not on APU gen? I would assume that the APU stops working at a certain altitude, thus causing your loss of power. But that's nothing more than an idea that pops into my mind ;-)Regards,Holger

This is very interesting stuff, thanks for posting!Just to make sure I get this one right... Entering a CI of 1500 for example would result in a 10,5% increased fuel burn and a 3% decrease in time compared to the standard .86 Mach ECON CRZCorrect? :-badteeth Gotta love graphs!CheersHolgerEdit: Just had a quick look at the cruise fuel planning table from the 737 manual... for a 4000nm flight my example above would mean using 8.000 kgs more fuel just to arrive some 20 minutes earlier... *scratches head* Talk about useless :-)

Hi there Bob!Having pulled the Tinmouse out of the Hangar again a few days ago for an article I wanted to do, I fell in love with this great aeroplane again. Just a few little issues while I'm at it...1. Concerning the PDCS: FEATURE REQUEST! ;-) Is there any way you could add a keyboard shortcut or a hidden clickspot for changing the EPR limiter from TO to CLB? This usually has to be done in the most critical phase after takeoff... I would assume in R/L the non-flying pilot would make the selection. Since bringing up a subpanel and searching for that #### little knob while turning for the SID doesn't always work *G*2. Concerning the FDE: The plane still feels a bit lively around the pitch axis (yes, I have the acell fix in FSUIPC ticked). So I had a look at the (flight_tuning) section in the aircraft.cfg and changed a few things:pitch_stability=2.0elevator_trim_effectiveness=0.75Do you think this has any side effetcs on other functions... e.g. flight performance or CWS functionality? In my opinion the hand flying experience is much more stable now, so I'd like to keep it that way.3. Again concerning the FDE: There's that takeoff trim "issue" as in the forum thread below. Not even sure if it's an issue, but maybe you could comment on that?Really looking forward to future versions of the 737!!! Thanks for all your efforts so far!Kind regards,HolgerP.S. http://www.simflight.de/modules.php?name=N...rticle&sid=8065 if you'd like to have a look at the Tinmouse article. Sorry, all the explanatory stuff is in German.

Scott,I've noticed the same behaviour. I use the hidden gauge below the VSI to obtain my CoG and then set the trim according to the table from the perf documentation folder. Just wondering, what do you mean by "AFDS +1.10"?Anyway, this works well initially - the aircraft rotates smoothly with a slight pull back @ VR and initially maintains a stable 15 - 20

Bob, Staffan,great info, thanks for your quick replies! Any particular tools you could suggest? As far as I remember there was a panel editor as part of the SDK... I'll have a look.> BTW, we have a RFP unofficial forum here on AVSIM just for these sorts of discussions.Never noticed. Usually when I quickly browse the forums I'll jump PMDG -> LevelD -> Tinmouse. Since when have they squeezed RFP in between? ;)So if a mod should be around, feel free to move it please!CheersHolger

Hi guys!Got a bit of free time at hand and thought I'd have a look at some upgrades to the old but great Ready for Pushback. "Pimp my 747" so to speak. I've already merged the RFP model with a neat POSKY variant, installed the excellent CIVA INS 1.50 (Thanks Simufly!) and the corresponding HSI gauge (Thanks Bob Scott!).Nooooooooow the TCAS gauge by Lee Hetherington would be the next treatment for the old lady, but somehow I'm stuck here.I've succesfully integrated it with the panel.cfg and also slightly edited the main panel.bmp with a few black pixels so that it fits in the VSI's position. Even though it's an amateur's job it kinda looks like an LCD screen, doesn't it? :-badteeth http://ehome.compuserve.de/holgerseilz/misc/tcas1.jpgNow the problem is that as soon as I switch on night lighting, a different panel.bmp seems to be used and my edit has no effect here:http://ehome.compuserve.de/holgerseilz/misc/tcas2.jpgBut I can't seem to find this night panel.bmp anywhere. Or could it be that it is somehow integrated into the daytime bitmap and Paint Shop Pro is just unable to open/edit it correctly?Never done this before, so maybe some of the panel editing gurus out there could help me on this one ;-) Thanks,Holger

Alex,I've read in a magazine that the new flight deck is supposed to be 95% identical to the current 747-400 layout, with the only new element being a terrain profile display like in the Airbus 380.Even though I don't know their source, this would obviously make sense - considering that most airlines will simply upgrade their current fleet of -400s and don't want to invest in additional crew training.Regards,Holger

Bob, V1.22 is a great little update - it's an absolute joy to fly now! Thank you for your ongoing work on this project, every new version seems like one step closer to perfection :) Oh, and a question for the pros: In the 732, would I disengage the yaw damper for a crosswind landing? It seems that I can only get sufficient rudder authority for a wing-low landing when the Y/D is off (I tested this with a 20kts x-wind component).Kind regards,Holger

Have to agree 100%! One big disadvantage of FS9 and it's predecessors has always been the impression of flying "on rails" - compared to the rather shaky experience of real world VFR flying in light planes.I really enjoy what ACES have done to improve the perception of turbulence and unstable air in general. By dynamically adjusting the viewpoint in the VC, they managed to create a much more realistic environment... those head motions resulting from g-load changes and accelerations are seriously cool! In my opinion this feature really makes up for the lack of peripheral vision in a sim. MIGHTY BIG IMPROVEMENT.Oh, and did anyone else notice that we finally have GROUND EFFECT? (yay!)That said, could we please get back to more fascinating framerate issues?! ;-) Holger(FSX user since 5 hours)

Hi!If details on systems / procedures is what you're looking for, you might want to give this one a try: http://www.itvv.co.uk/cpab777200dvd.aspRegards,Holger

Just wanted to say thanks for all the comments! Really nice to see that you guys can make some use of it...Oh and Lars - continous ignition is only used during heavy rain or other conditions which could cause an engine flameout. Do you really think I could have forgotten such an important item :( ;)

Lars - check your mails ;-) But once again for the public...You can hit the go-around button at ANY TIME during the approach, even after touchdown - regardless of whether the autopilot is engaged or not. What the go-around button actually does is quite simple: It's logic changes the flight director's pitch and roll modes to "TO/GA" and the thrust limit to "GA". If the A/T is armed, it'll also engage in "THR REF". All this means a wings level, full-power climb to the altitude dialed in the MCP at Vref + some knots. For different autoflight levels, this means:a) F/D only: You have to follow the F/D crosshairs manually and also move the throttles to max. thrust manually:( F/D + A/T: Thrust is automatically applied, however you still need to carry out the actual go-around maneuverc) A/P + A/T: The airplane automatically executes the go-around maneuver in terms of roll, pitch and thrustSo, if your windscreen suddenly is full of a mountain and you want to initiate a go-around when in manual flight, you'd need to do the following:- Hit the go-around button, check "TO/GA" on the PFD- Smash those throttles fully forward- Immediately retract the flaps to 20 (for drag reduction)- Pull the nose up to follow the flight director bars and establish a climb- Raise the gear, re-select LNAV and VNAV at a safe altitude, retract the flaps on schedule, explain you maneuver to the totally scared passengers in the back and so on...

Bob -Can you confirm that you copied both .FLT and .WX files?Can you confirm that you searched for "LH 454 Tutorial Flight" in the "Select a flight" -> "My saved flights" section of FS9?Additionally, you can try copying these two files into flightsPMDG. They should show up under "Select a flight" -> "PMDG" then. The other files (FMC plan, panel state) must stay where they belong ;-) Let me know if it works!Enrico -Just to let you know... I've looked it up: it's 250 feet above the ground. Seems quite reasonable to me, considering that the A/P most propably won't command a sudden nose-dive into the ground, especially with the flight director engaged.Martin -Thank you for your comment! Funny little incidents like this one really brighten our all-day Flightsim routine, don't they? ;-) When finished with cursing, you might want to give it another try if you can find some time...Cheers guys,Holger.

Enrico -thank you for the compliments and suggestions. I guess I'll have to update the destination METAR, didn't know that CAVOK was a european term.You're absolutely right about A/P engagement altitude: Definitely not below 200 feet AGL for safety reasons; from there it's the flying crewmember's decision. Once again, in the tutorial this is primarily a high-workload phase simplification for unexperienced pilots: By the time they have established a stable climb attitude and reach for the A/P knob, the aircraft will MOST LIKELY have passed 200' on the radio altimeter - hence my statement "as soon as airborne".Holger

Dirk -Regarding your questions:1. Nope - automatically done2. Nope - fuel state is saved with the situation3. Nope - should load correctly:-)I'd suggest however that you place your 747 at some convenient long runway, just prepare her for takeoff (flaps, brakes RTO, trim, weights, thrust, V-speeds) and save the situation, ignoring any route or FMC programming aspects.As for your suggestions regarding a 2nd version of the turoial... Well, let's wait for FSX and some other neat PMDG products in the pipeline ;-)Holger.

For takeoff training I'd suggest Part 2 of Cpt. Randazzo's Type Rating Course. He explains takeoff, and especially rotation + early climbout phase in much more detail than I do. Included you'll also find a situation file with the aircraft ready at the runway for T/O practice. Nevertheless you should be able to save and reload your own situation file. Works without any problems for me (I'm using 744F Version 1.01).RegardsHolger

Kan-ichiro -The reason is simple: In real world operations, the ZFW is never really predictable due to last-minute changes in passenger loading, cargo and so on.That's why the flight crew enters ZFW as late as possible (until they receive their final loadsheet). If you take a look at page 51, you'll see that we complete performance entries a bit later and also finalize FMC preparations.Kind regards,Holger.

Lawrence -This is really strange because the HDG REF switch has no consequence on navigation whatsoever. The plane should just continue on it's predefined track. In your case, it seems that the flight reset occured due to a crash of some kind.Things to check:- Current flightlevel 350?- Fuel configuration ok, e.g. no engine in danger of running dry?- AFDS modes LNAV + VNAV engaged?- Nav Display + FMC legs show no waypoint problems?All I can think of at the moment. You should also try DISABLING crash detection in the realism menu. Let me know how it works!Holger.

Bilal -that's just what I wanted to achieve.. showing virtual pilots what capabilities the aeroplane actually has - and how much of them this great simulation includes. Nice to see that you like it!Guys, I am a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of positive feedback I have received during the last days - thanks for that! Plus almost 5000 downloads so far. I really didn't expect that people were so much in need for a nice little training guide :-hah Cheers!Holger