blueskydriver

Hey Guys,This might help some of you without FSBuild. I have TopCat and I'm using Project Magenta as well as AS2012. With using the PMDG 737-700NGX, I have found a trick to almost match what the calculations should be, but first let me tell you about a free program from Achilles called Payload Manager (it's sort of read only program for the needed data concerning weights fuel and so much more), you can find it on www.mycockpit.org in the downloads section.So, using Topcat, the settings in the aircraft configuration section will be: PMDG Single Class Configuration of Y148 Cabin Layout, with 83,000lbs dry operating weight, 120,500 max zero fuel weight, 153,500 max TO weight and 128,928 max landing weight. Now, the PMDG 737-700NGX uses five load station with this Topcat-PMDG Single Class and the trick is this:1. When on the W&B of Topcat, you load the passenger load (for now just use 123 adults), for the cargo load a total out weight, in other words, load the plane full for cargo (don't overload though) and for the fuel load just use the estimate button for now. Make sure you do all that after you have selected your Trip Data of From and To locations (for this example use KMSP to KDEN). So, your values are in and looking at the Weight & Balance Summary, you will see the totals and the MAC % values as well.2. On the right side you will see the Payload Distrbution button so now press that and you will see a FWD Cargo Cell with weight value, a AFT Cargo cell with weight value and Coach cell with total passengers on board. Over to the left of that you willl still see passenger load, now look at the total value there, for this example of 123 adults they weigh 22,755, so you will use that value and we will call that value A, the FWD Cargo Cell weight let's call value B and AFT Cargo Cell weight value C for explaining this.3. Now, just select the Export to Flight Sim button and use Send (use must have the locations for the FSX Sim computer already set, if you do not, please read the instructions on how to do it as the information is too long for this posting).4. Next, go to the FSX Menu Bar>Aicraft>Fuel and Payload and there you will see the Change Fuel and Change Payload buttons. The fuel should be correct as to what Topcat sent over. Select the Change Payload button, and then look at those 5 stations. For Cabin will be 0, Mid will have 22755, Aft Cabin is 6614, For Cargo is 8131 and Aft Cargo is 0. And it is here that we make the correction for this to work. Take the value A of 22755 and divide it by 3 and you get 7585. So, first drop the Value C of 8131 down to Aft Cargo and drop the Value B of 6614 Aft Cabin down to For Cargo.Now using the answer for A value of 7585, place that same number in For Cabin, Mid Cabin and Aft Cabin. However, you will now change the For Cabin to 5585 and the Aft Cabin to 9585 (really what your doing here is shifting the balance of 2000lbs from the front more towards the back. So, select okay button and that load setup will equal as to what Topcat says it should be. The CG% will be 29% which matches Topcat and the way you can tell all of this is by using the aformentioned Payload Manager by Achilles (free program). There you will see the station loads and all the totals to verify them and the CG%5. You might say "well this is good for this example, but what about others?". Okay, the whole idea of the trick is to follow the method and it all comes down to that dividing of the passenger weights by 3 then moving 2000lbs of that back from For Cabin to Aft Cabin, as well as making sure Forward and Aft Cargo weights are in the right positions and are of correct weights as shown in TopCat. What if I had only enough passengers that the lowest weight is below 2000lbs? Well, whatever the total just divided by 3 and then remember to move a certain amount back. So, if an example of 1000lbs is that number, you should have to only subtract 200lbs and move it back from For Cabin to Aft Cabin, BUT! you cannot get the right cargo weights in because you can only load so much cargo weight. Besides when would you have only fly with 6 or 7 passengers...very rare?The point of all this is getting the passengers weights load correctly (making the division and shifting the weight), and then placing the cargo in the right locations. Thus far, I have found the above methods to work almost everytime. Sometimes you might have to check the shift weight, but most times it is a difference of 2000lbs (shifting). I mentioned Project Magenta (PM), well if I use these weights as such, it predicts the CG% to be the same as what Topcat suggests. If you did not make the adjustments and by not doing it through the FSX Fuel and Payload, PM would be way off and therefore, your flight would not be right.Finally, if you do this method and later change the passengers or cargo weights, you have to go through the steps again. So, you will use Export to Flight Sim again and go back through FSX Fuel and Payload as well. I suggest you do this once and take your time for each flight leg. I think for the most part this will workout for you. If you ask for the -600, -800 or -900, I don't know yet, but I believe if you switch the Aircraft Configuration weights (Dry, Max Zero Fuel, Max TO, Max Landing) in Topcat to match the weights of what they are in PMDG for the particular aircraft in question, it all should workout the same... Try it out and do some testing to see if it will be the normal 2000 lbs shift for the other aircraft, and then post back about it...Thanks for reading this long post,John

Just another quick post here, but I have two sound files that a real pilot recorded with his cell phone right before takeoff. It was a 737-500 and 737-900 and both sound similar, but the 900 has a distinticve sound of the nose wheel tires rubbing or spinning against the brake stoppers in the wheel well, so you might want to include this 900 sound somehow.If you guys have a place I can send them to, let me know. They are m4a files (2 files) that will open in Quicktime.John

Hey Guys,Thank you so much for editing these sound files. Can I ask a huge favor? Will you please use the dropbox location like you did in page 1 of this thread in addition to mediafire? Also, will you please somehow include a version number that is the latest? After reading all 8 pages, I am still not sure which sound files are the latest to use and the fact that mediafire is giving me problems, I cannot tell.So, if you can somehow say this is v1, v2 or whatever, and/or post a thread that says we're at version number(s, for different files) here today. Better yet, just keep the download location the same as in the first posting and post in a thread that the latest files (versions) can be downloaded from the page 1 link(s).Again, thank you for doing all this work.John

Hello Ned,I am a builder (blueskydriver) on the top two listed builder websites in the post above and I'd like to tell you or anyone else ever thinking about building a sim, please go visit someone who has one now. You will figure so much out from just one visit, as seeing is believing, or seeing is learning so to speak. Before I started, I visted a couple of guys and now many years later, I have a B737 Cockpit, with a B727 Cockpit waiting in the wings (pun intended) out sitting on the driveway. My wife has started working towards a F16 just yesterday, yes MY WIFE, so her and I love simulators...Anyway, having the skill sets that you listed is a big plus for building and you might not need to visit someone. However, I've had real pilots see my sim and couldn't believe what they saw. Even an visiting Airforce KC10 pilot was surprised at the level Cockpit Builders are at now and was happy to see mine.I know this does not answer your questions directly, but that is because some builders like doing the "Show and Tell" as opposed to the "Type and Wait"; thus, just ask anyone of them to come visit their sim. More than likely, you will be getting the answers you seek and flying their sim as well. Besides, since the PMDG 737NGX SDK is not out yet, you have plenty of time...John

Captain,Thank you for making these videos for all of us to watch and learn from.I went to your YouTube link and I have a suggestion for the videos, regarding titles. When looking at the page with an iPad all the videos on the left start with PMDG737NGX ... and episode name follows. Well, the way these titles get displayed on the IPad, it cuts off the episode portion of the title, so it is impossible to figure which one is 1 thru 12. Maybe, if you put the episode number first or you could at least make the first sentence in the video description to read Episode #-This Episode covers the...Usually, I try to watch good training videos while sitting in my full size home cockpit; thus, I can make some hands-on comparison test. Since I am using the iPad while doing this, that is why I'd like to see a change in your title structure. Unless you have an iPad you'd not likely see this as being a problem...on a desktop I don't believe it is.Thank you again,John Combs

Guys, I have a full size home cockpit and used TSS before the new PMDG 737NGX came out. I was using TSS with the ported in version of the old PMDG 737 with FSX. TSS did sound good!However, the new PMDG 737NGX sounds more like what the pilot recorded on his cell phone, not in quality, but the idea of what you hear. So, sitting in my full size cockpit with surround sound, two sub-woofers under the platform it sets on and using a Butt-Kicker attached to real IPECO seats, the new PMDG 737NGX wins out over TSS.Do you know that bump-bump sound you hear when the nose gear comes up. Well, it's meant to be felt under you and not really heard (low range only really). So, that is a whole another point, if you're discussing sitting at a desktop and using desktop speakers, the sound can be radically different from a full size version, as well as one computer desktop setup to the next.Thus, when you decide to try the TSS Sounds, which are good, you will likely come back to PMDG 737NGX Sounds in the long run. Funny, you can spend a lot of time worrying about the sounds and in the end, you realize that when they're good, you almost forget about them because you're doing so many other things like flying the plane. Although, when the sounds are bad, you just can't get that out of your head and you go crazy trying to make them great, but forgetful...John

Here is a link to Cockpit Builders, where our resident "Real" pilot recorded with his cell phone what it sounds like in the cockpit. Mind you this is a cell phone, but it relates what it sounds like inconjunction with what the pilot states about the sounds. Please see the first posting at the top of the page...http://www.cockpitbuilders.com/community/index.php?topic=2004.msg15344#msg15344John

You can use PMDG 737NGX with Project Magenta and you will get the flight model. You have to edit the panel.cfg like in the past, as well as change a few paramenters to remove the side panel views of the VC cockpit...Using PM software, FDS hardware and FSUIPC all the functions will work, BUT you will not be using the avionics of the PMDG737NGX; you will only have the flight model.The lights are a different story. You can inject A2A Shockwave (SW) coordinates into the aircraft.cfg and it will illuminate the ground slightly, but not like the default manner of FSX. You can add all the positions of the SW lights (landing, taxi, nav, strobes and etc), but you will have to redine the coordinates as they do not match the older PMDG 737 positions. And, with the PMDG737NGX light functions being tied into their coding, it does not allow them (PMDG ones) to be edited. The curious thought would be to add in fx files from FSX default to the PMDG737NGX and see if they'd illuminate the ground.Check in with cockpitbuilders dot com for mor info.

Bryan,Thank you very much. I will look forward too it...John

Bryan, isn't there a way for you to add a keyboard command just to that FA button, since it is the only other one needed besides mute to be interactive (for Voice Commander version)? I've heard of "Key to Mouse" put prefer not to use it because with all the hardware I am using now, it would be one more problem to deal with concerning it... With a full-size home cockpit there is already enough software and hardware to make an IT person sick, so just a simple keyboard command would be awesome.Yes, I know it is not as simple as it sounds for you to do this because writing software is a major feat in its own right. However, if you could find a way, I would be very grateful to you...John Combsblueskydriver

Hello Bryan,I am using the FS2Crew default 737 Voice Commander with a full-size, B737 Cockpit Simulator, Project Magenta Software and hardware by Flightdeck Solutions, and I need a way to push the FA button (on the FS2Crew Main Panel) by the use of a keyboard command or joystick button.If it could be a keyboard command (it would be better), I can then use FSUIPC to keysend and thereby, assign the FA to the ATTEND button on the FWD Overhead. Maybe, you could make this possible via the FS2CrewInputMapper.cfg, as that would be easiest. In fact, I now got the PTT for Squawkbox and SoftMute for FS2Crew assigned to the PTT Button on the Yoke, via FSUIPC and the FS2CrewInputMapper.cfg and it works great...Thank you for helping, as well as developing an awesome program!John Combsblueskydriver

Using TopCat and it works great and that you can send the data directly to FSX without a reload is even better. You will have to look at what PMDG NGX is using for weight and balance, and then match TopCat to it. In other words, sync the two to make sure they're using the same data. Also, it has not been mentioned above, but no matter where you fly too there is going to be a landing weight limit for the aircraft and a landing weight limit for the runways (not all, but most because of how they're made-surface, etc.). You'll see another function in TopCat and that is the D-Rate takeoffs (read about this). The point is about d-rate, is that it can affect take-off speeds and fuel usage (not much likely, but it does), as well as saving on the "Wear and Tear" of the engines. Finally, if you use the ACARS within TopCat, there is supposed to be a way to import the data into the CDU (like real dispatch operations work). Haven't used it yet, but plan too soon... BSD

Just curious why you didn't change the beacon, nav, and strobe lights to the shockwave lights? blueskydriver

Good Reader is great for the iPad to use for reading the PMDG manuals. Also, AvilaSoft EFB being displayed via Air Display makes it (iPad) great for the EFB in the cockpit...

Look at Ryan's posting in this link: His qoute: "Anyone will be able to download it - whether you can use it or not is going to be up to whether you know how to program drivers. The SDK is not something that magically makes the custom functions in the plane work with any hardware - that can't exist." http://forum.avsim.net/topic/343203-sdk-questions-topic-renamed/ Thank you 737Nut for asking and getting the answer. blueskydriver.

Ryan, It seems I owe you apology, as I kept asking about getting the SDK, even though you said "Anyone will be able to download it -..." For some reason, I totally did not see that first part in your post and kept asking "who will get it"? Therefore, I am sorry...please accept my apology. Thank you, John Combs

Fred, that sounds great... Johnaka Blueskydriver

Hey Fred, Will you share that AIR file for the default? Using PMDG 737NG FS9 ported in and have been playing with the new PMDG 737 NGX, but that will take some doing and the SDK to play with... Thank you, Blueskydriver Here are some links to my sims: http://www.cockpitbu...g10964#msg10964http://www.cockpitbu...g10804#msg10804

Still wondering where the SDK is or at least a word as too when it'll be available?

Ryan, Thank you for taking the time to respond about the SDK, and yes there are many of us who know that the SDK is not a magical program. However, if you give it too us, we will make magic with it in our own right... Also, how about doing a search of your forum for "SDK"? You will see a lot of us talking about it. In fact, I have sent you a support ticket to get an answer. Simply, can you just say "The SDK will be available to all on or about such and such date and time?" That is all we need...really! It's not asking too much; especially, since this was likely the second biggest question right after, "When will the PMDG 737 NGX be released?". How about pinning a thread that gives the answer, so we'll stop asking? Thanks again, John Combs

@Geoff If you're comparing a cockpit MIP with a desktop MIP, you would need the 2D panels if you want the appearance of the bezels and/or of the pictured representation of the MIP to be shown flat. If you're using a cockpit type MIP, you would need the 2D view, but without the visual representations; you just need the on screen data. So, the answer is yes, but it could be NO if you use another add-on like Project Magenta (PM), SimA or ProSim. These will give you the on-screen data (and even the 2D panel representation mentioned above...PM does this) in a broken down state module(s). With PMDG, you are getting the flat 2D view, so to speak, but not as in a broken down state module(s) like the above add-ons. What us cockpit builders want is a way to use PMDG in the broken down state, be it through PMDG providing it that way or they provide the SDK, so we could write our own modules (through coding) to use. If PMDG would think about the Cockpit Builders, as well as the desktop pilots, it would be win-win for everyone. However, the desktop market is the majority of the flight simulation community, so their reason to direct their sales to them is the best bet. Yet, if they would've tried for the cockpit builders, imagine how many desktop builders would likey pursue cockpit building with PMDG leading the way with their outstanding software developing abilities. Albeit, the cockpit building group is a small niche, but it does merit having them on your side because typically, it is them who have the most invested into their cockpits and they will happily spend to continue that investment. Finally, I hope this answered your question and hope no one minds my opinion. I give it with the best intentions for everyone, and in the end, for it to benefit the entire flight simulation community (cockpit and desktop pilots alike)...like it or not we are all a family. @All, the PMDG SDK has been released to hardware/software developers (know for sure on this for at least one). John CombsBlueskydriver Edit: Forgot to mention that not only is the module state wanted, but a way to interface hardware to PMDG, and that is another reason for the SDK.

Got some early news that the SDK is going out, so where is it for us users/cockpit builders? We really need it badly... Thanks PMDG, John CombsBlueskydriver

The PMDG 737 NGX Release Day has came and gone, and what a great day it was for "Desktop" flyers. However, us Cockpit Builders are still awaiting for the big day that PMDG releases the SDK's for the PMDG 737NGX. Therefore, PMDG staff please let the SDK's out, we've been waiting 5 years plus so many days...please! Thank you, John CombsBlueskydriverA cockpit builder

Have the download information, but after trying to download all day (August 5th) the server keeps timing out. Made it till 65% and then it restarted...5th time at restarting. Sorry to say, but you guys at PMDG should've had mirror download sites setup! Didn't you plan for this too happen after 5 years? So many users love PMDG, but this is not good for a product release...yes, yes we all know the internet usage issues and hackers, etc, but this could have been avoided by using more than a few servers... Otherwise, I look forward to the new B737NGX once it gets to 100% download...sometime...uh, hoping it will tonight yet! John Combs