JaneRachel

Ken, There are a couple of points here. Firstly, the 600/700 relies on SP1 which has taken a fair bit of time. There are a huge amount of items addressed, well over 150 (and some of those, major issues excluded, are so precise that only an NG driver might even notice the issue existed - the guys want this 737 to be THAT realistic) There are a massive number of reported bugs fixed and many tweaks, all for the better. That took a lot of time to code, it also takes quite a while to retest everything. Then the 600/700 is much more than a simple new external model as you may find with other developers. You will notice significant "under the hood" changes in performance and flight handling to accurately represent those aircraft. They do fly very differently to the 800-900. The 600 in particular flies like a little rocket and can land on a dime! The performance data for the 600 and 700 is a ton of work to keep all variants as realistic as it gets. I think that all of us here should be really happy that this is not a quick visual remodelling but an intricate and accurate representation of the 600/700 variants. Everything flies by the numbers in all of the variants with each having its own custom flight dynamics. I daresay that the guys could have delivered a fancy visual model in a couple of weeks, like so many developers out there, but they wanted to take the time to create an accurate rendition. Believe me, when you have the update in your hands and (if you so wish) the 600/700, all the waiting will be forgotten as they are a real joy to fly! JaneRachel

just before anyone's time is wasted, I will remind you Henry of what you have already been made aware. Westjet are very protective of their brand and close down any VA using their name very quickly. There is an official VA, supported by a formal agreement with Westjet. All other VA have been shut down by their legal team very rapidly after opening. I think it would be a shame for you to hire people and for those people to give a lot of their time to the VA only to be closed down by Westjet,

The only real use of V/S for a climb is small step climbs. For instance, a number of carriers have an SOP of using V/S of 700FPM for step climbs in cruise on the 744. It makes the climb smoother for the passengers than VNAV or Level CHG for those small steps. However, it has to be carefully monitored against airspeed. JR to be really pedantic, where it is possible, VNAV is the preferred mode rather than Level CHG these days.

those of us in the beta team and the dev team guys miss him very much. He contributed hugely to the PMDG MD-11 and enriched all of us through his lively comments and discussion. He is a major loss to the community and I am so pleased he has been honoured in the NGX. JR

one reason for this is also to ensure that the engine driven generators are capable of producing sufficient electrical current whilst in flight, pulling all the way back to full idle would mess up electrical generation

both flight directors are on? also what altitude were you selecting the second autopilot. You will get that error message if you attempt to set up autoland below 1500ft. You need to be fully configured well ahead of 1500ft and both AP's engaged. The system will then perform a self test at 1500ft before confirming the autoland. If you start messing with the aircraft configuration below 1500ft or only try and engage the second autopilot below that height, the autoland will be rejected. its not a fail passive or operational issue. Both will give you an autoland (unless there is equipment failure). However, in passive you will not get rollout guidance on the runway.

also make sure that you have FSX SP2 (or Acceleration pack) installed.

actually both cockpits are correct, depending on the age of the NG. Boeing made a number of small cockpit layout tweaks over the years... JR

Hi Alex, this climb rate is absolutely correct, dependent on conditions and aircraft weight. PMDG are the only developer who accurately model VNAV. all the bestJR

guys, an important reminder here. The hotfix does much more than deal with cockpit freeze issues. Even if you do not see those freezes you should be installing the hotfix. Why? because there are a significant number of updates to other issues in this hotfix too. Lots of tweaks and some bug fixes. It is in many ways a mini-SP1 that updates functionality in many areas of the sim. JR

there are no visual icing effects on the model as it was extremely processor intensive. However, the aircraft does indeed ice up and respond appropriately. JR

the cockpit sounds are identical to being in the real aircraft cockpit. They are not close or an approximation, the sound you hear is identical. That said, what you will hear in the passenger cabin is completely different so if you want the sounds to be like cabin sounds, they are indeed incorrect. The key point here, is they are not supposed to be the sounds from the cabin. There are many people in the PMDG tech/beta group who have had thousands of hours in the 737 cockpit and are entirely happy with the audio. It really is as good as it gets. Things sound very different in the cabin for lots of reasons, including doppler effect from where you are sitting.

a chap had this problem earlier today. It turned out he didn't have FSX SP2 or Acceleration properly installed... JR

not a single member of the beta team saw any panel freezes with their hardware and FSX setup, so we could not report what did not happen to us. What we cannot do as a beta team is diagnose how the aircraft will run on everyone's hardware and FSX. People vary widely with what they have installed in FSX and there are so many permutations of PC hardware it is impossible to test with them all. I reiterate, none of us saw any panel freezes in wide beta in any shape or form and only a small minority of people are seeing this issue now. The team are working hard to resolve it. As an example I flew from Boston, to Manchester UK yesterday with the NGX and had no issues whatsoever and I have not yet installed the hotfix on my machine, just the release version of the aircraft. I am not saying there is no issue, just that it did not affect any of the team or beta group on their machines. You cannot respond to an issue until you know it exists. Panel freezes aside all of the issues so far reported have been very minor and to be honest, there are hundreds of thousands of permutations of aircraft state so with the best will in the world, the developers or beta group would not be able to catch everything with an aircraft of such extreme complexity. Well perhaps, if we had stayed in beta for another three or four years ;) The team are being very responsive to all feedback to address all issues. What more can you ask of the guys really? JR

After installing FSX you really need to run a flight for a couple of minutes with a default aircraft. Then restart the PC and install SP1. Repat the process of a flight and then restart again before installing Acceleration/SP2 This is a known FSX bug from Microsoft where if you install all three without this running of the sim in between the internal configuration can get messed up. This often manifests itself as a "skeletal" aircraft with missing parts and textures. Not with all aircraft, but some high detail ones. It not only affects PMDG but a lot of the top end payware aircraft (almost at random sometimes) This skeletal plane thing is a regular issue we deal with in the PC Pilot Magazine mailbag. Give it a try and see if it helps you? all the bestJane

Hey Rudy, There is only ADF1, it is a quirk of the NG's (the real NG!) that ADF2 switch is there but non-functional. Boeing adjusted equipment to remove the second ADF in one of the NG upgrades, but left the switch in the cockpits. all the bestJR

no no, don't mess with FSUIPC as this is NOT an issue or bug. you will get this happen, complete with the warning alarm in the real aircraft if you are only running on battery power. This means you have not provided another source of power to the aircraft. Ensure that the engine generator switches are on, if your engine is on. If you are on the APU, ensure the two APU generator switches are on. If you have selected the ground cart, ensure that its switch is on. This alarm does mean you have not properly engaged the electrical source on the aircraft. It also does not mean that your battery is flat. It just means you are using it without any other source of power. It is a warning to tell you to set up another electrical source rather than just the battery. Again, this is the same with the real NG - nothing to do with battery life in FSX or anything like that. hope that help!JR

I am with Mike, the best aircraft ever to fly in FSX or any desktop sim! seriously! JR

yes, there is an initial setup phase, that is unavoidable as much of the systems are developed outside of the normal FSX systems. we do have testers with multiple displays (I have two) and have had no problems at all.

honestly, I don't think anyone will be disappointed with performance. The entire beta group have been really impressed with frame rates!

Hey Gang, People have been asking about wing views and wing flex. These shots out of Honolulu show a couple of the default wing views (there are quite a few default wing camera options - I didn't use any camera utility). If you look carefully on the engine shot you can also see the wing tip flexing as I was passing through some chop.

I just had to share my thoughts with you all after another successful landing in the NGX. I am totally, totally (did I say totally!) entranced by this aircraft. In my personal opinion (and no I am not being paid, cajoled, blackmailed, held at gunpoint or otherwise coerced or bribed), this is really the finest airliner ever to take to the skies in FSX (or any desktop sim). Why, because so often when we buy an FSX aircraft some parts are better than others. We might find a great external model but poor systems, or great systems and shoddy VC graphics. The list of permutations goes on. For me, the NGX is really the first aircraft where the bar has been raised in all categories. Fantastic visuals, both inside and out, incredible systems modelling, sounds that redefine realism. Everything has come together to real create something incredibly special. Are there any negatives. Well, I find it hard to fly any other aircraft in FSX now, seriously! I have been flying her some weeks now and still find little nuances that I had missed. There is so much attention to detail. Sure, we have all seen thrust levers in a virtual cockpit before, but how many are fully functional. Yes, you can set your desired thrust, but what about those little buttons on each side of the levers to disconnect the A/T. Well they work in the NGX, along with TO/GA. You can even pull on the reverser handles with your mouse and see them beautifully animate if you really want to. That is the tip of the iceberg but illustrates the point that if you see it in the cockpit it actually does something, down to every switch and gauge. It is not just animated but works in accordance with Boeing specs. It does what it is supposed to do, with no "sorry this is an FSX limitation", or "partially modelled", each element does its job for real! One little switch on the overhead may have been researched for weeks by the team, referring to some very smart pilots and 737 engineers, along with enough technical reference to fill RSR's house! I find the depth of detail so staggering that it is a bit of a game to me to find something that is out of place (of course, this is a good thing on a beta team). I speak to RSR most days and this usually involves me researching some obscure nuance of the real aircraft, buried at the back of a manual. I then ask Robert, "so can it do this?" I have always got the reply "of course it does, go and try!", along with a detailed synopsis of that function and incredible little details that bring the aircraft to life. An early question, "so Robert, is there a delay when engaging the autopilot", rather than the sudden engagement we see in lesser sims. The answer is you will see a small delay necessary to pressurise the FCC hydraulic actuators. Change from CMD A to CMD B, the new side will take slightly longer to engage, because in addition to pressuring CMD B, the CMD A is depressurised! Another question, are the differences in slat deployment modelled if I select the Short Field Package - The answer "silly question, of course that is modelled. Go take a look at the external model too and you can see it on the wing with retraction and extension speeds as per Boeing specs. See how the speedbrake has an higher angle with the Short Field Package - Change back to a regular NG, realtime from the options menu and see those wing animations change instantly to reflect your new chosen variation" I have been trying this approach daily for some weeks now with ever more obscure systems questions, with everything from little known FMC features to hydraulic pressures. So far I have yet to find a question on an aircraft feature that is not modelled in the NGX. The team and the beta testers show you screenshots and Nick has shown you some wonderful videos, but, guys, this is the tip of the iceberg. Once you get into that cockpit and see for yourselves the staggering depth and detail you will be overtaken both by immersion and delight. Once you fly her you will want to shout from the rooftops like those of us in the beta group about just how incredible this aircraft is. I am not given to exaggeration. Seeing her is great, flying her is a whole different ballgame that will blow your minds. Perfection in motion! JR

yes and lots of them. Well over 500 sounds recorded from a real NG are in the sim. You should hear what Armen has done with the engine sounds right throughout the thrust range. The guy is a genius!

I have just taken off in bumpy weather from Honolulu with the NGX. The wing flex was a joy to behold. I ended up being totally entranced with the wing views, including some extremely realistic vibration motion as I was pushing through some choppy cloud! Use one of the wing cameras and you would think you were looking out from the real aircraft. It is scarily realistic and immersive! JR

Scott, that is absolutely correct,all the bestJR