ilias

Having the same problem here. Tried everything like you did, I still get the stutter -I like calling them hiccups :)- every few minutes or seconds (if I use time-speed). The game will freeze for a single second and continue on. Very strange behaviour, never had it again in FSX. Have opened a ticket. My system specs are pretty high end: Core i7, Nvidia 570, SSD Vertex 3 240GB etc. Not sure what this is related to. I also have an occasional crash (very remote indeed) but that I believe is related to the CDU/FMS, but that of course may be my interpretation. Ilias Pyette

Since everyone appears to be waiting for NGX with excitement (like me) I could suggest some great reading on safety issues, right before you ride that 737NG. BEA interim report on AF447-contains some of the best FDR analysis you will ever see in an accident report!http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/f-cp090601e3.en/pdf/f-cp090601e3.en.pdf EASA Annual Safety Review:Loss of control in flight is the biggest killer, so be careful with that NGX when you get it.http://www.easa.eu.int/communications/docs/annual-safety-review/2010/EASA-Annual-Safety-Review-2010.pdf For those hitting the F5 a bit too often I can only say that P in PMDG stands for Precision not Punctuality... as experience has also shown. Technically speaking, already it has not been published on the 4th of August as people east of Korea will assert you (although they are now well asleep). Ilias Pyette

Sorry for not replying a bit sooner. Regarding the black box you see on top of the MCP it is difficult to answer. I am not sure if Boeing would like to disclose what is there on the 787. Usually it depends on the flight test phase. It is used primarily for telemetry data as well as secondary source indications. I know it sounds vague, but test aircraft cockpits are places with "funny" devices where no picture neither disclosure of them is allowed. I have seen anything from an iPad displaying information from a gadget installed on the radome to a Tom Tom navigator used, not for GPS of course, but to display sensor information from an experimental project. What I am trying to say is that flight test cockpits have custom made devices installed or fixed (in the case of this black box) which any manufacturer is not keen on disclosing as it would be a description of flight test issues or future innovations. If there are any Boeing employees on this forum they might be more keen to describe what the device displays.Regarding the 787 cockpit, I can say from experience it is quite a departure in terms of Human-Machine interface. As much a departure as can be for a commercial aircraft. The four displays and the input method (touchpad) are probably the most outstanding ones. The FMS can be controlled via the touchpad with a cursor moving between what once was LSK-RSK or alternatively a knob allowing also the selection of items and lines. I even dare to say it looks outdated for the Ipad generation which will certainly have the tendency to touch the FMS screen. Already customer airline pilots tend do this initially on cockpit demonstrations. But I guess this post should not be an essay on human factors and technological progress of interfaces.Hope that was a bit helpful. Ilias Pyette

Hi attached are some pics of the 747-8 and 787 at Le bourget. It was pics of opportunity with my mobile as they were taken on the side of meetings, so please excuse the relatively poor quality. Ilias Pyette

Nice updates. The project looks pretty good and I don't think my positive comments can add anything of essence. It does however allow me to imagine posts such as this one:The NGX is almost complete now and the project is about to be available to the Beta team. However last night we uncovered a serious issue. The passenger seats in economy recline by 10 degrees instead of the 5 degrees shown in the Boeing blueprints. As you can understand we cannot ship a product like this to beta testing. Currently Dr. Vaos is working on a new mathematical formula which will correct this but we are not certain if it will also apply to business class. In the meantime, I am working on the final calculations of the amount of paint used in each livery in order to get a more accurate and realistic calculation of the empty weight for each aircraft. There is a significant difference which can be up to 300kg depending on the amount of paint. This work should be done by next week and then we plan to do beta-wide testing. As always don't plan in the near future for any business trips, vacations, weddings or funerals. (RSR) Note: I hope everyone gets the intended humour and the indirect compliment of the post and it doesn't become feed for trolls. Ilias Pyette

Looking at the NGX video on the dark cockpit and in particular the FMS, I observed a "Maintenance" page, in the failures sub-menu of the FMS. I also observed that Ryan "missed" to click on it. I immediately started imagining about a failure mode based on the aircraft cycles/hours. This would be feasible using the λ - lamda in CS-25 and AMCs (or FAR-25 on the other shore of the pond), whereby the probability of a failure for every system increases by time (in very simple terms). Depending on system certification specifications this probability value may vary. Their combination gives a reliable fail-safe aircraft. Since this could be calculated, thus simulated, and PMDG have a passion for setting the bar high up, I was wondering if PMDG is also going to provide some sort of maintenance related failure mode on a similar hypothesis. I would also like to take this opportunity to ask about the printed 737 manuals. I haven't ordered them yet of course, as there was no release date on the horizon in December. Now release is somewhere in the relatively-near future. Since the manuals are already 6 months old, will the manuals be updated to reflect any changes done to the final product i.e. the parts referring to software capabilities? Should we wait for an updated version before ordering? Will there be a bundle available for printed and electronic manuals ( I believe the e-manuals will have a cost)?The NGX looks like it will not just be a great product but rather the product of great passion, dedication and creativity unseen before in the FS community. That's all I have to say. I save the congrats for release. Elias / Ilias Pyette

, yeah ok ,...as long as this does not get my first post almost forgotten in this discussion!Rgds,Ilias Pyette

Dear Mathew, Thank you for you advice and concern. Nevertheless please don't let the "Newbie" and the 3 posts I have made in this forum fool you. It is just that for the past decades or so I have avoided signing up or posting in such forums, exactly because I don't like being patronized, especially on off-topic matters. I am sure any issues with my posts would be taken up by the moderator other in public or by pm-ing me. I guess all these years I wasn't that wrong. If you would like to discuss this further please don't hesitate to sent me a pm or even email me (I can provide you with an address), as it is best to leave this forum to the announcement of a PMDG product. Thank you again for your advice, and my apologies to anyone having to read something so...off topic.RgdsIlias

Ok I haven't seen this question before in the forum, so pardon me if the question has been already been answered.Question: Will the NGX be accompanied by binded printed manuals and QRH, like the MD-11?Although their cost with delivery may be multiple to that of the software, it adds so much to the experience, plus it makes the work put in the product by PMDG come to light. Suggestion: I guess that with NGX, there will be several systems and their failures simulated. However I believe 95% of the users don't even know about such features. How many for example know that the brake temperature mechanism in MD-11 is (or to me appears to be) a replication of the system in the real aircraft. The same goes for the brake cooling rate. Try overheating and then take-off leaving the gear extended to see how quickly the temperature will drop. So when the NGX is released, it would be good if PMDG started publishing something (e.g. newsletter, forum posts etc.) highlighting such features and tempting the user to experiment with the aircraft. It is a great shame if they remain hidden for users to find out through experience only. PMDG could always say : "Did you know this can be simulated... Try doing this and this and observe how the indications/system behavior change". So these were my 2 cents. Ilias

I was in Gamecom today in Cologne. Apart from Aerosoft ... and believe it or not a.... farm simulator, there was nothing on display about "Flight" on Microsoft's turf. The company had around 10 PCs with Age of Empires installed for visitors to play.It is interesting that Age of Empires which is a game sharing the same press release as MS Flight will be a free game to download and play on the LIVE network. Users will download extra content from the network. Needless to say "no comment" from anyone from Microsoft on Flight. So to use the infamous words of a previous US administration there are more "unknowns" than "knowns". I guess we will know more in 12 months time. Until then PMDG is the only source of flight simulation products worth looking forward to (personal opinion please don't comment on it :().Have a great weekend everyone.Ilias