Virtualwombat

Yes, I value the RealAir attention to detail above all else. I'm never disappointed with the quality of their planes, whereas other makers, even the big names, often have little problems that take patches to fix. Still, if RealAir can release in December, then it will mean more sales, me among them. Cheers, Noel.

The RealAir site indicates the Turbine Duke V2 is in development. http://www.realairsimulations.com/home.php?page=home Has anyone heard if RealAir intend to release it before Xmas? Their B60 was magic and I'd love to see what they can do with the turbine model. Cheers, Noel.

Hi Guys, I felt I should pass on my experience with a Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog, in case any of you were considering purchasing it. This may be the most expensive joystick/throttle combination on the market, retailing for over $500 from many suppliers; in fact, I paid almost $600, including tax and shipping costs (it is all metal construction and VERY heavy). Thing is, the joystick lasted a little over 3 years and now none of the buttons work. The warranty is only 2 years and neither the manufacturer nor the retailer want to know me, not even if the repair is at my cost. Obviously there is a chance that I was simply unlucky and that others experience will be different. But the attitude of the manufacturer and the retailer is the thing that gets me. Do they really think a $600 joystick that fails within 3 years is an acceptable value proposition? Cheers, Noel.

I'm shocked! This worked for me out of the box (just set 30 fps). Massive increase in performance at Orbx YMML with full overcast. I guess I averaged 10 fps improvement from 16 to around 26, even hitting 30 fps on occasion. Cheers, Noel.

There's also DCS World and Arma 3 for those interested in military sims. They both have their own strengths and weaknesses but I still return to FSX because is has largest feature set and third parties can produce killer aircraft and plausible environments, even if the trees look horrible by modern graphical standards. Cheers, Noel.

Yep, Aarnet is fast, but only when the server at the other end is also up to the task, which is not often. Obviously I bought the academic version of P3D. Cheers, Noel.

Results when tested a few minutes ago: 783.47 Mbps down 946.72 Mbps up Cheers, Noel.

I have V2, downloaded in less than 5 min. L-M must have one masssive server farm... Cheers, Noel.

Photoscenery looks good at high altitude, not so good on the ground. It needs to be paired with good mesh and autogen, otherwise it can look flat. And often only one season is presented. My favorite photoscenery is of Hawaii, either MegaScenery payware or there is some excellent freeware by Ironhand for some islands. http://en.shop.aerosoft.com/eshop.php?action=article_detail&s_supplier_aid=12047&position=54694711&anzahl_treffer=267 http://www.lockonfiles.com/files/category/28-fsx-scenery-packs/ Cheers, Noel.

http://www.fullterrain.com/product_ftxgiceland.html#demo Pretty cool... Noel.

Thanks, but it seems to be offline. Maybe their server is down on right now. I'll try again tomorrow. Cheers, Noel.

So I understand from the comments above that the AivlaSoft EFB works pretty well. Anyone have a working link for their trial version? I can't access their website through: https://shop.aivlasoft.com/. Cheers, Noel.

Thanks for your help. In FSX, the GPS will show arrival procedures (STARs and transitions) but if it can show SIDs, I don't know how to show them. The Q400 FMS seems to have many more options than the default GPS, among them SIDs and airways. I'd like to visualise these, to make informed selection, rather than by trial and error. It seems to me that this has to be done outside of FSX in some kind of flight planning application, but the ones I have (FS Commander, FSBuild and Plan G, aren't great in this respect. I guess I'm asking if there is another flight planning application out there that is better than FS Commander for visualising SIDs, STARs and Transitions? Cheers, Noel.

Hi Guys, What is the best way of visualising SIDs, STARs and transitions when planning a flight? I have FS Commander, which works to some extent, as well as FSBuild and Plan G. My difficulty is that the routes that FS Commader suggests sometimes do not correspond with those in the FMS of my Majestic Q400, and it can be difficult to choose the best, most realistic proceedure to suit the overall route and specific runway for the weather. What do most people use for this task? Cheers, Noel.

Yep, the best modern military jet available. My only quibble is it's a bit hard on frames, so you might consider the freeware Sludge hornet if your system is slow. Cheers, Noel.