twharrell

Well, darn. People are on to me. Mindstar is located in VA. I live in VA. In fact the pics I took in the RedBird simator were taken at KJYO (Leesburg). And guess what, I not only have met Stasi, I actually sat next to him in the simulator. My cover is blown. You guys are too good. ; ) I did post about this gauge package in multiple places. I'm getting the word out because I really am enjoying these gauges and I want others to enjoy them as much as I do. I like the products Mindstar produces and the developers have always been helpful. Here's an example of the types of support they provide: I had an issue getting the G1000 to work in P3D (my fault completely). Stasi provided a link to access my computer from his office computer and was on the phone with me for almost an hour while he fixed my issue. You just can't beat that level of service, folks. These are good people. Todd Quick tip: when using either the GNS 430 or 530 in the VC of the A2A Cessna 172, you must place a dummy rxpGNS.dll file in your P3D/gauges folder (same folder as FSX) so the configurator will let you choose either the GNS430 or 530. You, of course, have to replace the RXP gauge entries in the panel.cfg file with the Mindstar gauge entries. This workaround was shared with me by another A2A customer, so this discovery isn't mine but it's an easy and elegant solution.

Philip, short answer yes. I have both gauges working in the A2A cessna 172 and it's VC options were modelled for RXP. In fact, the gauges work flawlessly so far. Buttons and knobs work well, so what was modelled in the VC must match up well with the Mindstar units. The gauges also mostly work in the MilViz Cessna 310 VC but gauge alignment is off so the knobs don't work well. Bill Leaming already said he'll try to fix that once he gets the gauge pack. As for RealAir, they already told me the Mindstar gauges won't work in the Turbine Duke because of the way their VC was modelled for RXP. And I tried to fit the 530 into the Aerosoft Twin Otter unsuccessfully, so the way the VC was modelled obviously prevents that. Inserting the gauges as 2D popup panels in all aircraft works just fine. So, VC integration is possible, as long as the VC is modelled in such a way that integration is allowed. Todd

VC panel integration depends on the respective aircraft developers. There is no magical way for Mindstar to insert their gauges into a VC unless the developer makes that option possible when the VC is modelled. It's not like you can just open up a slot in the VC to insert a 3rd party GPS unit. We all wish it were that easy. I know I do! Hopefully developers will enthusiastically embrace Mindstar's gauges snd make the option for VC integration possible. I asked RealAir if they could do it, and they said integration would essentially require a complete redo of their VC, even though RXP is supported. RXP never made a gauge with 3D bezel and knobs, either. Todd

It also bears mentioning the G1000, GNS 430, and GNS 530 aren't the only products that Mindstar produces. RealNavdata is used in other Mindstar avionics packages that most of us will never see, much less use. Todd

I have no idea if RealNav is a subsidiary of Mindstar or a new company that shares offices with Mindstar, or what. I honestly don't know. What I do know is both Navigraph and Navdata Pro are not adequate for Mindstar's mission of serving the commercial flight sim industry. Missing nav data is huge. Not having WAAS data is a big deal. So, let's say for argument's sake RealNav is owned by Mindstar (I don't know this). Why would they need to hide it? Matthias acts like some super sleuth that was able to find they share the same suite in Virginia by looking on their respective websites. And based on that finding he's acting like it's an "aha" moment; that he's uncovered a scam (although he failed to pay attention as to why Mindstar uses RealNav navdata). I mean, really Matthias? Perhaps, rather, Mindstar saw the flaws in both Navigraph and Navdata (and there are many), not to mention they both are entertainment-oriented, did not see an affordable alternative for providing a thorough nav database for the commercial marketplace, and thus saw an opportunity to offer such a service. Pretty smart business sense if you ask me. That is how I would see it. Mindstar certainly isn't trying to pull a fast one over on the sim community (whatever that would be). Matthias, what is your beef for trying to discredit Mindstar, anyway? No one is forcing you to buy their products. The announcement snafu is my fault, by the way, and I do sincerely apologize. Todd

Matthias, You're statements are some of the most vile, immature, and ignorant of any I have seen on any forum. If you are not going to be constructive and mature with any of your comments, then go elsewhere. In fact, do us all a favor and just stop posting your crap. No one is out to get you, and no one has a hidden agenda here. If you don't want the product, don't buy it. But do not come on here and treat the developers at Mindstar as if they are dishonest people out to just get your money. Your characterization of these PEOPLE have crossed a line, especially when you compared them to race hustlers. Unbelievable. And just so you know, these same gauges cost commercial users thousands of dollars. We get the same gauge for $50. Mindstar is easily justified by charging you $200 for this package and that still would be a bargain. So, if you have nothing respectful to say, then go away. Lusche, The VNAV page works in terms of entering data. As was explained to me, it won't drive the default VOR gauges or other 3rd party gauges in terms of managing the descent. I don't remember if it calculates your rate if descent and TOD or not. I haven't checked as I do all my flying on Pilot Edge, so ATC usually tells me when to descend. And I can usually calculate all of that stuff by the time it takes me to enter everything into the GNS unit. I probably wasn't very clear about that, and for that I apologize. Todd

That is great news! MilViz is the first developer I know (along with Eaglesoft) who has really embraced the Mindstar units (beginning with the G1000). Not to mention you guys make solid, quality addons. Todd

Gregg, Not to stray off topic, but check this site out if you haven't already... Great tip, Lee. I'm going to have to bug Stasi for not telling me that. :lol: Todd

Nope, in the real airplane, once you hit the TOD, the glide-slope indicator and/or flight director needle will actually deflect downward, indicating you need to drop the nose and descend. If autopilot is on, it will do it for you. Howdy, Ed! Todd

Well, VNAV is not so simple to add. I talked to the developer about this and he explained the issue in detail. I'll do my best to explain here, but my explaination may be filled with errors. If so, the errors are mine alone. Here goes: 3rd party gauges with VNAV cannot drive the glideslope needle or flight director in default or 3rd party VOR gauges. You either have to hack FSX or P3D, which violates the EULA and any support agreement you have, or it requires you to create a custom VOR/HSI gauge that will talk with the GPS unit (hence the RXP flightline steam gauges). So, as this is not a feature in demand by Mindstar's commercial customers, it hasn't been added. The VNAV button will bring up a VNAV page, and you can change the fields, but it isn't functional. Not yet, at least. If enough people really want this feature, then perhaps it could be added later (that's me talking, not the developer). Todd

Regarding integration: VC integration is very hit or miss for now. VC cockpit modelling is so variable. It's not as simple as replacing the panel.cfg entry like yo can accomplish with 2D panels. Many aircraft developers up until now have had to create an alternate VC panel to incorporate RXP gauges and that required working with the RXP developer. As you know, that developer is nowhere to be found. Once Mindstar's gauges get into the flight sim market, then hopefully more developers will jump on board and work with Mindstar to allow integration into their VC cockpits. I was able to get both gauges into the A2A C172 and the "fit" was near perfect, considering the alternate VC cockpits were made for RXP integration. Some panel.cfg tweaking still has to be done, but so far everything seems to function just fine. In the RealAir Duke (I have the Turbine version) you cannot integrate into the VC. Again, their alternative VC's are for RXP only and since I don't own RXP gauges, I am unable to access the other VC's through their configurator tool. The RealAir developers, who were awesome in responding to my emails, said simply putting Mindstar's gauges into their VC's designed for RXP won't work. I hope that RealAir will contact Mindstar and figure something out. Until then the 2D gauges work perfectly, and I have been happy with that. The same thing goes for the Twin Otter Xtended. I'm trying to get more info on how the VC was created to see if it is even possible. But, again, the 2D gauge works perfectly. I use the Mindstar G1000 in the MilViz C310 VC and it works quite well. The GNS units can be placed in the VC but the gauge alignment is off enough that the knobs don't work. The VC gauge dimension are just different enough to prevent correct alignment, but I'm trying to reach the MilViz folks for a solution. Until then, the 2D Gauges work beautifully. I know some folks will be disappointed by this, but realize everything up until now has been geared toward RXP integration. Things will change with Mindstar's release but it will take some time. It hasn't affected my enjoyment as I do all my gauge manipulation with the 2D pop-up anyway, plus functional integration is perfect (Flight directors, Autopilots, HSI, and COM/NAV work as expected). Comparison with RXP: This can be a sensitive subject, as I am not a fan of RXP. I used to be a RXP user with FS9 up to a year ago. Never used FSX. And since RXP does not work with P3D, I just gave it up. I am not happy that the developer just went AWOL on everyone, and I think it is wrong for the gauges to continue to be sold with zero support from the developer. Bert Peicke, who is truly one of the most selfless people in our flight sim community, has given a lot of his time to help RXP customers with technical issues. He did a lot to help me with FS9 issues. I do sense, even he is a little irritated the developer is a complete no-show these days. So, I come into this with a bad taste in my mouth regarding RXP. I want to be up front about that. RXP and Mindstar have approached the Garmin GNS430 and 530 in a completely different way. RXP essentially took the Garmin trainer and somehow was able to manipulate it in such a way so that it could be used in flight simulator. The gauge is Garmin's gauge. The integration is RXP's. That is why a new Garmin trainer is needed to get any AIRAC updates, the latest being from the newer GTN 650/750 series. WAAS was implemented because Garmin updated it's trainer to simulate that function. Mindstar, on the other hand, built both gauges from the ground up. They also built the G1000 from the ground up. Everything from the visual model to function was coded by the software engineers at Mindstar. That is why you can update the nav data every year and not depend on a Garmin trainer to do it. These gauges are not new. They have been used, and are currently being used, exclusively by RedBird in their simulators for years. In fact, even the steam gauges in those simulators were designed by Mindstar. So, any of you real world pilots who have used a RedBird simulator during their training are already very familiar with the Mindstar GNS 430/530. Mindstar also has many other cool gauges/avionics packages that we will never see in the flight sim hobby community, at least not for a while, simply because they are way too complex to distribute at a price point affordable by your average hobbyist. Just know that Mindstar's primary focus is the commercial sim marketplace. I say all of this so that you become familiar with who Mindstar is. You can be assured both GNS gauges are fully functional and complete, minus a few AUX pages (Terrain page for example is not functional) and VNAV, which are functions not required by commercial sims for training. WAAS is being implemented in 2014, not because they couldn't do it, but because you have to have, 1) access to nav data that supports WAAS functionality and, 2) commercial customers who demand it. WAAS is now very much fully integrated into our airspace system. Commercial customers now demand it in their simulators. That brings me to: RealNav navdata updates: This is a huge bonus, in my opinion. I've been using Mindstar's G1000 in the MilViz Cessna 310 on Pilot Edge and have also used both the GNS 430 and 530 and, I have to say, having an updated AIRAC is a great feature of these units. Now, I realize this is not essential to some, and that's fine. You don't have to upgrade your AIRAC if you don't want to, but it sure is nice. Some will ask, why RealNav and not Navigraph or NavdataPro? RealNav is one of the only commercial level navdata providers for flight simulators. As all of Mindstar's avionics are primarily developed for real world simulators around the world, comprehensive navdata is a necessity for their commercial customers. What's the big deal with that? The big deal is, 1) WAAS data, and 2) data for small airports. Both Navigraph and Navdata Pro do not have access to that same data, and they don't need to as they cater to sim entertainment - that is mostly people who fly with an FMS to large international and regional airports. Ever notice an approach missing to your favorite small airport? Navigraph and Navdata Pro don't have that data. What about cost? The RealNav subscription is $40 annually for 4 cycles. Why 4 cycles? Consider the time and effort it takes to collect and assemble the world's navdata in a usable format. Commercial users pay $1000 annually for 13 cycles and $400 annually for 4 cycles. You only pay $40 for 4 cycles of commercial grade navdata. That includes current WAAS data. Folks, that is a big deal. RealNav deserves a beer and steak dinner for giving us home users a break like that. So, this is a sweet package. Mindstar is going to be around for a while. If you have questions, call or email them. Stasi and his team are very accessible and will gladly answer your questions and help solve any technical questions. Lastly, I went to my local flight school yesterday and took some pictures: I hope I answered many of your questions! Todd

I've been testing this package for the past week or so and it is very nice. The GPS package will be released this Friday on Mindstar's website. Projected cost is $50USD, which includes both units with crossfill capability. So far, I have used the gauges in the MilViz Cessna 310, A2A Cessna 172, Aerosoft Twin Otter Xtended, and the RealAir Turbine Duke. The navdata for both gauges can be kept current using a separate AIRAC subscription from RealNav. WAAS will be added early 2014 and there will be no charge for the upgrade. All of Mindstar's products are compatible with P3D v1.4 and v2.0 (and FSX, as well as FS9). Todd

Got it working per instructions by Mir himself (which are identical to instructions by rlyddy). Thanks! Todd

I have both FSX and P3D installed. P3D is smoother and never stutters, and it looks nicer IMHO. And, as someone said, practically every FSX addon works. It's my sim of choice. Now, if you want to use certain add-ons from PMDG or Flight 1, then stick with FSX. It's a, cough, cough, EULA thing. Oh no, I said it! I actually keep FSX installed just so I can fly the Flight 1 Citation Mustang. Otherwise, it would get uninstalled in a heartbeat. Consider P3D. A lot of FSX users have made the jump and don't regret it. But there are other FSX users who have mastered the whole CDT issue and have it purring along nicely. Decisions, decisions. Todd

Meh..... The UK's version of Hollywood, except the Royal Family actually loves their country.

I just use Prepar3D.... With soon to be FTX Global. By the way, Jim, you guys take your time getting it right. You'll have lots of happy customers. As for the Word Not Allowed vs NickN debate, they both have made significant contributions. I use more of Word Not Allowed's tweaks, but that's just me. As to what scenery is the best, I think it's whatever makes you happy. I'm just glad we have choices. Life is good.

Does anyone know how to install FlightBeam KSFO into P3D? I just bought it and the installer doesn't give an option (I realize it's an older addon). I read where the procedure to install is posted somewhere but my searches on these forums turned up nothing. Any help is much appreciated! Todd

OK, not ignore my own advice about staying on topic..... There are some developers who are rather open about the fact that LM has come directly to them begging for more addons to be made for P3D, yet you have other developers who act like a lawsuit is about to happen if their aircraft is flown in P3D. I don't by the lawsuit deal. On one side these developers say their products aren't commercial, thus cannot be used in P3D, yet on the other side they create "training editions"of their addons or they model aircraft systems 100%. And then you have RedBird, an FAA licensed training device, that uses FSX as their platform, so obviously FSX has joined the commercial realm too. Sorry, but if you can get sued over P3D, you can get sued over FSX. Neither is a licensed training platform that one can legally use to log flight time (unless it is RedBird affiliated). OK, seriously, back to topic.... So as for payware for P3D, we have Xtreme Prototypes Lear 20 series, default Lear with panel mod options, and JustFlight Hawker. That's it for business jets. None of those really do anything for me, unfortunately. I did buy the Flight 1 Mustang and installed it in my copy of FSX. Man, I love that jet. I tried installing in P3D using the Estonia tool and by just placing a copy of the FSX.exe file in the P3D root folder, and it doesn't work using either method. The new installer just doesn't allow it. There's no VC and the 2D panel gauges are black. So, I just uninstalled it and kept it in FSX. Man, if Flight 1 ever decides to allow it in P3D, I'll be in heaven because that is the ideal jet for my mission. The ESDG CJ1+ would be awesome, too. I really hope the developers come around on these Citations and allow their use in P3D. Todd

Most definitely good news. I was the original OP on this. Sorry, couldn't find the P3D forum, as here on AVSIM we are apparently relegated to the "Other Simulators" category. Todd

Are there any liveries for the Xtreme Prototype Lear series floating around? I checked the library and no success. Todd

I can vouch for this. Every time I have had a question or issue, the response has been prompt and thorough. A great group of developers. Todd

OK, back to topic please. Business jets in P3D. Todd

I emailed Carenado about making their C182 G1000 panel Mindstar compatible and they said they have no interest or intention do so. The tone of their reply was just arrogant. So be it. I was going to buy the C182T but that email made my decision for me. Todd I know the Eaglesoft DA42 is compatible.

Oh, so Flight 1 did something to later installers make it inoperable in P3D?

I believe it denotes the Washington DC SFRA (Special Flight Rules Area). Leesburg Airport has its own little niche carved out of the SFRA that you are to exit in the most direct route possible after takeoff, i.e. north or west, away from DC. All cool stuff, Ed. Quick question, have you been in talks with any developer to be sure their GPS gauges are the right size in order to replace them with your units. One disappointment I have is with Carenado, who made no way to use the Mindstar G1000 with their C182T. MilViz, on the other hand, was very forward thinking in their gauge design and flexibility, because the MS G1000 fits like a glove. The only issue I have run into is lightmaps, which, surprisingly, don't match up perfectly with the MS G1000. I'd tweak the light map if I knew how. Todd