Paul J

Yes. Also, with even more interesting detail:- https://github.com/microsoft/GlobalMLBuildingFootprints Extract " Introduction Bing Maps is releasing open building footprints around the world. We have detected 1.2B buildings from Bing Maps imagery between 2014 and 2023 including Maxar, Airbus, and IGN France imagery. The data is freely available for download and use under ODbL. This dataset includes our other releases. Updates 2023-06-05 - Combining all building footprint releases into one distribution. Total footprints: 1.2B. Footprints with height: 174M. Updated coverage map and associated features. Other data sources will remain unchanged. 2023-05-31 - added 49M updated footprints and 10M height attributes from Vexcel and Maxar imagery. Biggest contributions are Nigeria (18M), United States (9M), and Burkina Faso (7M). 2023-05-18 - added 77M buildings heights to the US and Western Europe. See Coverage map. .......contd... "

Hmmmm... Microsoft has a very long and complicated web of map and mapping applications, with many links with other companies who provide them with the 'data' that simHeaven is alluding to. MSFS is just one of those applications that uses some of that data. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Maps . One quote was "On June 1, 2020 it was announced the base map data of the Bing Maps Platform would now be sourced from TomTom.", so I Googled "What mapping data does TomTom provide?" One can read for a week on this subject. . . . ATB pj

Yes: Roman is good to talk with, and he has fixed the links over the last five minutes, so Bert's and Dave's should be good to go as well. This is the most excitement I've had since Kitty was pup!!

Yes. It looks like I perhaps began the actual purchase while still in the "Guest" account 'mode', and then added in the rest of the account details during the purchase - and perhaps this is what happened with Dave too: It went through ok because the PayPal info is good as far as his site is concerned. I did think that the whole site - the visibility of site components - data entry boxes, e.g. all seemed very ultra-modern but also very 'vague'. Anyway - PayPay confirmed my purchase - "Guest" - and that's what happened in my case: PP advised me to await a return email or 'phone call from him over the next couple of days or three. Update from Roman:- Hi, I'm sorry - there was a glitch on the website and the download link didn't save for some reason... I added it again and regenerated the download permissions, so it should work now. Please go to your account and you should see the link there. Let me know if it worked. Thanks. Roman.

Same here, Dave. Looking for a 'phone number right now, but will call their head office if I can't find one, or a d/l link. Seems strange. It's a brand-new site, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for a couple of hours. Update - found his number but could only leave a message.

https://flightsimulation.romandesign.ca/msfs-scenery-store/ If you take out the "flightsimulation" word from the URL, you will see just why this company is good at producing an MSFS airport of serious quality, and I reckon (as an avid PNW flyer) it's a 'must have' - right up there with the Drzewiecki Designs products, like KRNT. Impressive! The site says $23.99, and I presume that's $Can.

I have to echo Mr Bits and Franz: I did have a bit of a time understanding the overall setup - three or four days of 'why this' or 'why that': larnin' how to manipulate the scenery_packs.ini: got mixed in with the fix for X-Roads (no roads!); finding the right YT vids! - SimHeaven is a must! - but I did get it all together and just packed up for the night after a good flight (Skyhawk) from KTTD - KHIO - 7S3, after which I took a couple of shots at 7S3 and took roughly the same shots with MSFS, for a quick comparison. AutoOrtho performed flawlessly, the terrain looks great, X-Roads was good, and the graphics were exceptionally smooth - 3820x2160, with a 2nd monitor at 1920x1080. Once it's all setup, I reckon the load time is not much different to that of MSFS - just that there're just no pretty pics to help pass the time. The only beefs I really have are 1). mostly the city buildings - often repetitive, or inappropriate, and, after using MSFS over Portland, and comparing with Google Earth also - they appear to be somewhat out of scale, often too far apart, or located in various spaces without access, road, or pathway of any kind. FSX had this issue too, and it was fixed in good measure - by the folks at Orbx. They brought in realism. #2 is similar to that of FSX, inasmuch as the vegetation - trees - could use some Orbix or Bijan work as well. With AutoOrtho added to XP - a major Achilles Heel has been removed. A couple of months ago, downloading mega-giga-tera bytes of Ortho4XP - and storing it - had just about stopped me from any further exploration of XP, but this is a game-changer. XP certainly has the right sounds: the 'feel' in the cockpit, and on the flight deck is authentic. and I'm quite confident that there are sufficient geniuses around who - however slowly - can fix the 'realism' and the 'look' of this sim: I'm very satisfied with the move I've made in embracing XP12, and I'm really glad to see the number of inspirational people here whom I've known, respected, flown with, or talked with since the Bruce Artwick days has confirmed this. Thanks guys! ATB pj

@captain420 https://flightsimfirstofficer.com/ Google is your friend.

@RobF2 - Right: I have no idea what their hold-up is, and honestly - I've stopped even visiting the A2A website: but - back to the Bonanza, and Bert''s comment: "Some like to argue that MSFS only has better scenery.. but I actually like the in-cockpit experience better in these airplanes as well. Subtle things like the lighting in MSFS are just in an other league. " Exactly, Bert. Part of the "gotcha" for me with the Black Square Bonanza - was the info line across one of the MSFS loading screens that said "Try flying IFR with no GPS" etc., Well - yes - this is how it had to be back in (my r/w 'days') - the 50's and 60's. This could be repeated in FSX - it was a great challenge. A map, some charts, some met info, 2 x VORs, an ADF, and a plan - one could fly pretty reliably anywhere, and for me - that was the Pacific North West, ala' FSX and Orbx, in any IFR-equipped aircraft, with zero-zero weather, and 100' cloud base. Seeing those runway lights slowly appearing on an ILS approach as one breaks out of the thinning mist, is magic! It's taken Asobo/MS a l.o.n.g while to be able to achieve this, but it can now be re-created with even more - and better realism. This was also completely achievable 'back then' in the fabulous Maddog, and now - with airports now being released by designers like Drzewiecki et al, along with recent AI and ATC improvements from the likes of FSHud/FSLTL/AIG - that may be entirely possible once again. I don't know that this might be true, yet, because I've been very reticent to fork over the same money already spent on FSX, to say nothing of the additional money which was (IMO) wasted on P3D and XP. What I do know, however - is that this Bonanza is worth every penny I paid for it, and better than most every other GA aircraft I have previously owned. It is a piece of "icing on the cake", so to speak, and is one of the needed pieces to put MSFS 2020 where it aught to be. pj

Gotta say I agree with all of the above: In my books it's right up there with the Maddog. Been still on the fence for a while, now . . . whether to get "back in" whole hog or simply watch the drama, but aircraft of this calibre, and the slow, but MSFS's ever-increasing quality, and growing authenticity and adherence to the real world of aviation is pulling pretty hard. Thanks for all your comments above - you guys persuaded me! pj

Maybe he's got a Spitfire, or perhaps, a B25, and thinking about the magnetic compass, and wanting to know if we should swing them every now an then . . . . . . https://www.aviationconsumer.com/maintenance/compass-swings-a-forgotten-task/ 😁

Yep: driver version is a biggee: could well be linked to DLSS, GPU incompatibilities, Nvidia Inspector settings, if it's installed. I also don't trust Nvidia Experience, nor their other accessories.

There's a good read on Nvidia version issues a few pages further back: Edit: If you don't know this one already - you might also run cmd.exe (as admin), and then run sfc /scannow It will find and fix a lot of file system errors.

To each his own, Andy! Meigs has an almost revered place in the world of MS flight simming history, and many of us old fa*ts take great pleasure in our reminiscing, and someone worked his backside off to create this version of Meigs - in an almost true-to life replication - and it has has brought all of the monochrome & VGA dreams from those "old days" - full circle. Bert is a bit younger than me I think, but I'm sure he gets as much a kick out of the "magic" that this sim can bring to us, as I do - and many, many others do too.

Check that you're not running in Dev Mode.

No - don't uninstall the game, as it may well delete components, files etc.. that you need - but don't know about. If you're bent on a re-install - get Revo Unistaller and do it with that - after it does a backup of what you're going to do, You''l be surprised at the number of files and registry entries an un-installation will take out. Far better to just do what @Bobsk8 says above, then use the file verification function of the Steam Client. Launch the client, select Library, then put the pointer on the game, then rt-clk: choose "Properties"->"Local Files"->"Verify Integrity of game files". Once that's done, reboot. Then launch the game to see what it looks like. You can then re-add your favourites addons one by one - maybe using Addons Linker, if you wish.

Yes - https://flightsim.to/file/834/merril-c-meigs-field-kcgx It's been available since Feb. '20, and is a splendid rendition. There is another (earlier) on the .to site as well, I but haven't tried it.

Well, I started up this morning, loaded FSLTL, MSFS, sat on the grass at Toronto Pearson in a 172 - and watched a large airport fully working, without issues: couldn't see a thing wrong, and yet had made no changes to any files. It's just about perfect - and now I'm one step closer to being locked away!

. . . . .and I've just spent almost all day, futzing around with this sim, trying to get FSLTL and/or FS Traffic to show up.. I had it working three weeks ago, when I last fired it up, (Drz's fantastic KRNT!) - and then a few days ago, Bert (Pieke) suggested a fine SamScene Vancouver addon scenery that also includes CYYJ.. Like him, I'm also a PNW flyer, so I thought I'd give it a go. I made a simple flight plan, followed the startup "this and that" routine, and sat, waiting for the big things to begin showing up. Nothing. Nothing landing; nothing at any gates; nothing taxying. I am so sick of this sim: its incredible scenery has ruined almost any chance of "going back" to - even the latest P3x, or XP - (which needs weeks to download enough Ortho to even come close to it). Update after update after update, and still a sim that is totally unpredictable from one day to the next. Sorry for the rant. I just don't know where to go next.

Re: the elevator trim, Ark: there's a green "Takeoff Trim Light" just above the RMI, Ark: when it's lit - the elevator is set for takeoff.

Yeah, I read that after my first flights. I've only taken her out for two flights - one to see what it looks like (I'm happy) and then what it sounded like with the Magister's sounds swapped in. I spent some time looking for better sounds, but haven't found any that are close to that of the Sierra Hotel version. Cool uses the F-18's sounds, and they are nothing like the PSH one. I think a Gloster Meteor sounds should work, if one could be found: it had very whiney engines too. I have the original - but it's uninstalled, and can't be re-installed because Flight1 has changed their authorizing software. It's worth pursuing, though, as this one is a quite ok, looks good, feels good, and with good flight characteristics. It just sounds nothing like a Tweet.

She'll shutdown using the two vertical handles (fuel shutoffs) at the top/center of the instrument panel.

Page 4 of his manual, Tac. "Throttle Levers: The instructor's throttles are the only ones with an engine cut position. Right-click the throttle from the idle position to shut off the engine." I haven't used any of the nav or com gear yet, so I can't give you any gen on it. Yes - me too. Round gauges look like they 'belong' there. I don't know if she has an AP; the real one didn't. I heartily recommend you download the pdf that I linked to in my first post: it has a ton of info on the real aircraft, albeit with some differences here and there. This is the Project Sierra Hotel T-37 manual from the old fs9/FS2000, etc., version - how to install it, etc.., and many of the click-spots may not be at all applicable in this aircraft, so you can really ignore much of the first 19 pages, but after that - p20 - 27, there's a well-written history of the T-37, which is followed by a sort-of 'familiarization' manual to p74, where it becomes a serious fight manual, covering all phases of flight - much/most of it coming from the real-world experiences of the guys that flew this machine every day. It is a great reference to have nearby.

I suspect, Hans, that ALX meant to say "reminder that you can inadvertently screw someone while doing due diligence".

Maybe it's an opportunity for you to reach out to him, with a personal apology and an offer to bring him into your team "in some commercial" way, with him providing the needed know-how to getting a blend of yours and his into MSFS with some decent sounds. Just a suggestion that would hopefully smooth any ruffled feathers and would benefit everyone (including me!) . . . . .