PittsS2B

Well, to be fair, I hadn't planned on buying FSX right away anyway, as I figured before it was released that it probably wouldn't run very well on my three-year-old machine, and I'd barely scratched the surface of FS9 at that time. Now that guys with cutting-edge machines still can't run it very well in it's current unpatched state, I'm glad I waited. So, instead of buying FSX, I've been spending money on upgrading FS9, with add-ons like KLAX and the MadDog 06, and having a great time with the old sim.I hope that Aces can fix FSX for the majority of simmers, as it is the future of the franchise, but I'll probably wait for that next hardware upgrade in a year or so before I buy it. I'm much more interested in the new TNCM from FT.....John G.

Love the Carenado 182Q, but the SAAB Safir is my favorite GA ride - incredibly smooth gauges, and you can roll it! John G.

Good advice in this thread. Last Saturday, I took my wife and son up for a 2-hour round trip up to KFFZ in Mesa in a rented 1965 172 - same vintage as me, but a lot better maintained! :DIn addition to checking maintenance logs, I'd look for the general attitude of the FBO towards the condition of their planes - do the primary avionics and instruments work, are the engine cowlings clean inside and out, any missing screws in the cowlings - all clues about their attention to detail. The cosmetic condition of the airframe and interior is less important, but I've found that a clean airplane is usually a well-maintained one. YMMV.John G.

I've had the Maddog for about a week now, and I really like it. Good support, too. However, I found it a bit heavy on the framerates on my P4 (Northwood) 3.4, X800 XL system, even at default airports with no AI traffic. I upgraded my vidcard to a 7600 GT, and now it's playable, even at add-on airports like KLAX and KPDX. I couldn't care less about the promised VC, as I prefer 2D pits for airliners anyway, and I'm not sure my aging system could handle the additional framerate hit. Solid job by the Maddog/Leonardo crew.John G.

I don't have the Alphasim T-6 yet, but I've been tempted by the screenshots. I have a few hours in the real thing (Harvard Mk IV - same airplane), and it's true that spins in the T-6 are "attention-getting". I thought my head was going through the canopy when it entered the stall....John G.

Yes, it looks just like I remember it. Well done!John G.

Great job as usual, Adam & CanUk crew. Brings back good memories of flying into that airport (in the summer, of course!):D

I use FS9 frequently as an IFR practice aid, usually in the Carenado 182Q, and for that kind of flying the 2D pit is invaluable. You're not looking outside much in instrument flying, and lots of head movement is generally counterproductive, leading to vertigo. I've tried flying in IMC with the VC and my TrackIR, and it's really no fun. The 2D pit, where most everything is visible with only eye movements, generally works better. I find much the same situation when flying airliners, since they're more panel-intensive as well.Now, for VFR flying, the VC's in my 182 and Sibwings Safir are terrific - great fun with a TrackIR. I just think that 2D pits still have their place in flight simming, and shouldn't be consigned to the scrapheap just yet in the name of "progress".John G.

Yes, thanks again, Bob, Gustavo, Terry and the rest of the team. Great systems and great framerates around my Cloud9 KLAX and FZone scenery - both appreciated!John G.

Thanks for posting that. I'd encourage everyone to read the comments as well, because many of them state the GA side of the argument more persuasively than the original pro-airlines editorial does for its side, IMHO.Any article that purports to paint GA pilots like me as "wealthy individuals" worthy of excessive taxation misses the mark, IMHO. I don't feel very wealthy when I'm tooling around for 50 hours a year VFR in a 32-year-old Cessna 150 with faded paint and worn carpet, making minimal use of ATC services along the way. Lucky, yes, but wealthy, no.John G.

Can't vouch for the .NET part, but running a registry cleaner periodically does result in a noticeable performance improvement on my old rig in FS9. I use a payware one called Registry Medic. Between that and (1) running FSAutoStart (2) deleting the Macafee bloatware completely (3) and running AdAware frequently, I've added 4-5 fps in testing with Cloud9's KLAX, which is the most intense scenery I have.Frequent defrags and virus scans too, of course.John G.

Dave - Waterworld was science fiction, and long on "fiction". And I'm not prepared to sacrifice grassroots aviation, or our modern global economy, to a theory that might not even be correct. I grew up in the '70's watching Canadian environmental propaganda aimed at kids, predicting all kinds of dire consequences if we didn't change our dependence on fossil fuels. And none of those predictions came to pass, mostly because market-driven technology (with a little push from government regulations) resulted in cleaner, more efficient engines for cars and aircraft. And general aviation's turn is next, with a number of innovative new engines for small planes in development. But they'll never see the light of day if general aviation in the U.S. is strangled by this proposed new fee structure.New bumper sitcker idea: "They'll have to pry my $100 hamburger from my cold, dead fingers.":D

Really hope this proposal doesn't pass. My local FBO is on its last legs as it is, between high fuel prices and rising insurance premiums, and an increase in fuel taxes coupled with new user fees for all ATC and FSS services could be curtains for them. Having been to Oshkosh a few times, and seeing the intangible benefits of GA for kids first hand (drug-free environment with a strong sense of personal responsibility, and respect for history and the men who made it), I'm very hopeful that GA will still be an affordable proposition for my two preschool-aged boys in a decade or so. These new fees could sink that dream in a hurry.John G.

Thank you, Rob & the rest of Project Fokker, for this excellent add-on! I recall flying the Boise-SeaTac route on one of these a decade or so back on Horizon, and it's great that there's now one for FS9.Count me in the "indifferent to VC's" crowd, as I prefer 2D 'pits for my airliners and other IFR platforms anyway. Great manual, too!John G.

Thanks for posting that - my favorite airliner in my old hometown! Loved the low high-speed passes down the runway - need to try that one out on my payware CYYC scenery.John G.

Looks like this storm came up so fast, even the folks in the tower got a scare:http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/13_1a/lead...n_194108-1.htmlHate to see this, as my local FBO is getting squeezed badly enough already by high insurance costs, and this claim sure won't help. Plus, there's an ever-dwindling supply of affordable 172's in the world...John G.

I found it under the "What's New" tab in the library - you have to go a few pages in to find it. What a stunner that model is! Thanks to Eric and the other folks who made it available to us.John G.

Well, I'd end up paying the bill anyway, but:Active Sky 6.5GE ProRealAir SF260Level D 767CH YokeMay have to email this thread to her as a hint! :D

I also struggled with stutters in FS9, until I completely uninstalled Macafee Security Center, and that cured it. It's such a resource hog, even with real-time virus scan disabled, that it had a noticable effect on my FS9 performance.

Springbank looks good! I haven't flown in or out of there for about nine years, but that looks just like I remember it. And I just got the CYYC scenery last weekend, which is terrific. Great job, Adam and crew.John G.

I know the others have already answered the question, but just for comparison's sake, my old Northwood 3.4 with an x800 XL works quite well with my new Samsung LCD at 1600x1200, with only a few FPS lost as a result. And it does look fantastic on the flat screen.

Thanks Tom and staff for the dedicated FS9 forum. I'll be sticking with FS9 for a while yet, so it's great to have one stop for current information and discussion. I don't post much, but I check in here almost every day, so this change is much appreciated.John G.

Thanks for the tip - I'll keep an eye out for that version. Are you planning on importing the TMII into FSX eventually?

No problem, Bob - I should have bought the pay version of Mr. Dowson's program a while ago, anyway. Full functionality in the Tinmouse is worth the price, and I'm looking forward to see what you come up with next.John G.

I gather that this means that those of us cheap-o's still using the free version of FSUIPC are going to have to spring for the pay version if we want to assign the flaps to a key. Am I right?John G.