twharrell

Another vote for Quality Wings. I have their new Avro RJ series and right now it's the only aircraft I fly. It hand flies like a dream, and I often don't turn on autopilot until after FL180. I also hand fly the the Juneau LDA approach and that is a lot of fun. Don't let the FMC scare you. Read the manual and do the tutorial flight. Once you get used to flying with FMC, you'll never want to fly without one. They are all very similar in how data is entered, so once you learn one you'll have no problem with others. One word about Quality Wings - their aircraft modeling is fantastic. I think they fill a nice niche for those who want complexity but don't have the time with fully realistic aircraft. It's realistic enough for my time and needs. Also, get a good flight planning program like FSBuild. Good luck! Todd

ronzie, this is good information. I don't mean to hijack the thread, but my question it keeps with the theme of this thread. I just installed a new airport, and then Rebuilt the scenery. I went to the FS9 folder to copy the fs4.csv file (to paste in the RC4 data folder) but couldn't find the file! I only saw a fs5.csv file. Do I need the fs4.csv file or do I rename the fs5.csv file afterI paste it into the RC4 data folder? Todd

Simon, I believe this is just a quirk of MSFS, not your system. I've seen the same thing with the Reality XP GNS530, when I fly using the VOR indicator. If you adjust your map range (i.e. zoom out), the aircraft symbol will probably align with the magenta line more closely. I know it's a little annoying, but know you'll get to your destination all the same. Todd

Bill, That's good to know. I do wish they would have said the same thing in their reply to me. Todd

Ian, I actually received an email that said they aren't planning any corrections to the KDEN scenery, as they had too many other projects. Look, Imaginesim makes beautiful sceneries. I have several. I'm just disappointed that they can't fix a nice scenery like KDEN. I would expect a reply that states, "thank you for pointing out the error, it will be fixed soon. It's a bad error that has gone ignored for too long, yet they are still selling the scenery at full price. Now, as for KATL, I'm happy that people are pleased with the results. Like I said, they make very nice sceneries. Todd

While I do like Imaginesim sceneries, I am very disappointed with their overall support. When the new KDEN was released, I purchased it soon after. It's a very nice scenwry, BUT, all of the runway touchdown zone markings are incorrect - what I mean is (and you can see this in the screen shots on their website), the first touchdown zone markings just past the runway numbers are missing on all the runways. I sent multiple emails to the developers pointing this out, and they basically refuse to correct the problem because they are busy with other projects. If that's the case, then every person who bought KDEN should get some money back on their purchase. I don't like paying full price for a supposed high quality scenery that can't get the basic runway markings right. Those are a big deal when trying to land. I hope they fix this soon - it's been long enough this has gone uncorrected. Until they do fix it, I won't be buying any more of their products. Todd

Does anyone know what font was used by United Airlines on the Battleship Grey livery? I'm finishing a repaint and am having a hard time finding the right font with the right thickness (or boldness). I've come close with a font called Times ten small caps and it doesn't look bad, but it could be better. I tried to select bold typeface in Photoshop but apparently that option isn't available for that font. Thanks, Todd

Thanks for all the help, guys. I'm always glad to be part of such a helpful group of enthusiasts more than willing to share their experiences. I finished my repaint and here it is for you to see. If interested, I put on Flight 1. Todd

OK, so I decided to download the trial version of Photoshop CS6 and what a difference does a $500 program make. Now, if I can only find $700 laying around...... Seriously, it has made the repaint go so much easier, but I have hit another road block. Now that I've finally finished the texture files for the sim, I need to convert them from psd to bmp. Here's my issue - all of the psd files contain the alpha as a layer, which is turned off. Before I flatten the psd files, do I turn on the alpha layer first? Or, should I turn all layers off except the alpha layer, then save the alpha as a separate bmp file (32-bit?)? Then turn off the alpha layer and turn all other layers on, then flatten and save the psd as a 32-bit bmp file? Then, open the bmp in DXTBMP, import my saved alpha, and save as an extended bmp 32 bit 888? Basically, how do I deal correctly with the alpha layer in my psd files? Thanks, Todd

Great tips, guys. I really appreciate the help. So, I've finished my left and right main fuselage paints, and then flattened both. Quick question, on what layers, other than the ones that have nothing to do with the side I am painting, do I turn visibilty off before flattening? More specifically, there are two layers that are completely white (one each for right and left sides). Should I turn the visibility on for each respective side before flattening? Next question, when I transfer the main painted fuselage image to the actual texture files and line up the sections using the small crosshairs (or by reducing the transparency as also suggested), I notice not all the crosshairs line up, rather only 1 or 2 line up. Is this OK? I'm using Gimp so perhaps that is why all my crosshairs don't line up exactly. I am able to match the images well by reducing the transparency of the main fuselage. However, as suggested, I then cut out the extraneous part of the fuselage that isn't needed. I would expect to see the underlying background image/colors when I do that, but what I get is a completely white background where I make my cut. Again, is this a problem? And lastly (for now), once I finish a texture file, do I merge or flatten the file? Then, I assume I save the file as a bmp file. What type of bmp file is best? Once again, I appreciate the tips. This is all starting to make sense! Todd

OK, that makes sense and kind of what I thought. However, the master fuselage psd is only for the left side. What about the right side? Do I compress the layers, flatten, then make a mirror image? Also, any tricks to know where to cut up the master psd to paste on the texture files? Todd

I'm have very limited experience doing repaints and the ones I have done have been with simple paint kits. I'm trying to do a repaint of the Quality Wings Avro RJ70, but the paint kit layout and manual are somewhat confusing. This will be the first airliner I've tried to paint. In the paintkit, each aircraft has a main fuselage psd file where you can basically can layout your entire paint. There are several other psd files that have only sections of the fuselage, tail, and nose. According to the manual, these are the files that are used for the actual aircraft in MSFS. So my question is, what use is the master psd fuselage file for if it isn't used for the actual aircraft? I've painted that master file, now what? The manual talks about flattening the image - not sure what that means. Would anyone be willing to walk me through the process? I have read many painting tutorials but none talk about a master psd file. Oh, I am using Gimp for my paints, FYI. I also use FS9 and Windows XP sp3. Thanks, Todd

Anyone know where I can get Womack's paint and interior for the F33? I checked the library to no avail. Also, will it work in the FS9 version? Todd

Just purchased this aircraft last week - fantastic! I also usually prefer 2D panels but this VC is excellent and I haven't missed my 2D panel option. My only complaint is not having the option to have a panel without 3D knobs (FSX does). You can add RXP gauges but the 3D knobs bleed through. Not ideal but still workable. Don't know if carenado is planning to release that option later or not. Todd

Well done, sir, and congratulations. I still get chills when driving in Herndon and one of these suckers takes off. It almost looks like the thing is taking off from Hwy 28. Awesome sight. Todd

Just purchased this aircraft. As a huge fan of the old Bonanzas, this thing is beautiful to look at and fly. I am having one big issue, however... When I modify my panel.cfg file to include RXP gauges (GNS430W, FLN and T) the 3D knobs from the old gauges are still present. Apparently, the FSX version of the plane has a way to get rid of these knobs, but I haven't found this fix for the FS9 version. I hope I am overlooking something, because if there is no fix, then that's a huge negative for Carenado's return to FS9 (for me at least). Also, I am wondering if there is a single yoke option like the F33 in FSX has. Lastly, is there going to be a major support thread for the FS9 bonanza F33 in the very near future? Todd

I am an FS9 user, who is thinking about building a computer and moving to FSX. But this forum has been a fascinating read and has made me a lot more curious about XPX. By the way, I am continuosly amazed by where we are today in this hobby. To think both sim platforms have been used in some way for real world training is quite spectacular. Anyway, I'm going to keep reading everyone's answers to the OP's original question because it is a good one that more than one MSFS user is curious about. Great discussion. Todd

Actually, WoAI takes little work and almost no time to install. The installer does all the work for you. You just have to download the airline or GA packages you want to use. The only negative is some of the liveries are outdated and the flight plans are old. WoAI also works well with RC4. If you fly online, AI is automatically inactivated, which is nice. If you are like me, I don't pay a lot of attention to whether the flight plans are up to date or not. I just like having AI traffic. The free part is nice, too. Anyway, just a positive plug for WoAI. Todd

It seems the prices of these drives fluctuate daily on Newegg. Almost like deciding when to buy an airline ticket. The crucial m4 prices are now up over $200 again. Just saw on Microcenter, however, that the Agility4 240GB SSD is $189.00. Another question - while the OCZ drives are supposedly faster than the Crucial drives, in terms FSX performance, will I actually be able to see any difference or advantage with one SSD vs the other? If not, then it really comes down to price (which we already know fluctuates day to day) and stability, correct? Todd

With the new Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge intel CPU's, is it still recommended (i.e. is it necessary) to follow NickN's guide for installing and setting up windows 7 and FSX? Or can one just install Windows 7 and FSX then make the tweaks recommended by Word Not Allowed? I'll be installing both on a SSD. Todd

I'm hoping to start my new build soon. I'm currently researching video cards and I am leaning toward the GTX560 Ti. Seems to be a solid card for the money. My question is what should I look for as there are so many different GTX560's. How many cores? Should I go with a 1 MB card or a 2 MB card? What card manufacturer should I avoid? Todd

Thanks for the feedback!

John Loney, for his past and continuing contributions to the AVSIM scenery library (he has provided numerous airport sceneries and object libraries), and for the number of people he has mentored and/or assisted with scenery design. John gives a lot of himself to the AVSIM community. Todd Harrell

Does anyone still use this add-on despite it being a few years old? How does it compare to FSLabs Concorde-X (I know this is a newer version for FSX)? Does anyone know if there is a fictional United livery (new colors) for this bird (if not, anyone willing to do one... )? I know these are very general questions but I was thinking about buying the SSTSim Concorde and wanted to get a general feel from those who own it. Thanks. Todd

Good info on this thread. It gives me a lot to chew on. Here's a question: Being that this computer will primarily be used for FSX initially, I was wondering if would make sense to get a 60 GB SSD for the OS and Microsoft office, and then the 240 GB SSD for FSX and FSX add-ons. Basically those would be my only 2 drives. I found an OCZ Agility 3 60GB SSD for 50.00. In the future I can always add another hard drive when needed. Or... just buy the 240 GB SSD for FSX, all add-ons, and the OS and a HDD for all other programs. Would 240 GB be enough space for FSX, Active Sky 2012, UTX, GEX, Orbx sceneries, several airports, a few aircraft, and Windows 7? If it is more than enough, then the HDD would make more sense as a second drive for my needs right now. Just trying to find a balance between budget and performance. Todd