BrianG

Go for it. I used squawk box as of as couple years ago and never had any issues. A bit of a learning curve but that's what made it fun for me. In short time, like everything it will become very repetitive and very second nature. That's what drove me away from it unfortunately. I always used IFR when on Vatsim. It will keep your think tank full for a while, and at the same time getting very close to RL procedures to satisfy curiosity. Anyway, that's what it did for me. Take the plunge. And, you kind of get to know the controllers after a while. Much fun all around.

+1 on all the above. Also, for those who haven't already, check out Kyle's instructional video's on PMDG products on You tube when you're ready to take to the next level. Excellent delivery and teaching style that really made it for me. Hat's off to you Kyle for maintaining your spirit and enthusiasm in enriching this hobby after all these years. Your consistency and commitment are most commendable, as is your level of expertise. As an added bonus, I find your "tasteful" sarcasm (aka frustration) very entertaining. . Take that as a compliment please. All part of the fun for me.

Hi All, Been away from FS for a couple years and wondering how hardware has evolved. Specifically, what will I need in today's hardware market to meet my needs as I'm itching to get back into FS. So, in the past I ran PMDG 737, some Orbyx Scenery's, FSDT Airports . I always used freeware weather engines which were fine for me and didn't bog my old system down ( FSRealWX). I like world of AI and would like to use it again. I'll stick with FSX for right now but would like to leave my options open to jump into P3D at some point. My old system was very antiquated, even back then. I was running an I-7 870 processor and an AMD 1gb GPU. I still managed to get in the mid- high teen's FPS using the NGX landing at FSDT Airports with 30% AI and some overcast weather.. Throw in Orbyx with all that and It would bog down to an unusable level of course. With the new system it would be nice to run as described and maintain frames in the 20's. Last I checked the 4790k was popular with either the 970 or 980 ti GPU. Z28 MB's seemed to be the flavor of the day. Now I know there is a new generation of processors ( Skylake ) and the 1070 GPU seems to be the latest. I know these new hardware pieces are pricey. Is the new technology worth while investment in running today's add on's? Or does the older Generation still get the job done at less cost? Of course, getting something future proof as future proof can be would be nice. I'm not opposed to spending the big $$ if need be but Iike everyone, I don't like spending money unnecessarily. Any and all comments are welcome. Hope that gives you enough info to my objectives. Thanks much.

Thanks Will and Steve, this is very helpful to hear all of this. Anyone else, love to hear from you as well.

Thanks Will. I did get a Civa INS ( one of the many mods) to work flawlessly in the CS 727 and could fly it with VOR/NDB as well. In your estimation, the CS version has better graphics? As far as the FDE, how would you compare the two?

The 727 is my favorite of all time. I have the CS 727 and installed no less than 12 community mods and got to a fairly decent level. I never did install their latest version. For those who have both, how does this X-plane( latest release) version compare with the CS 727 in terms of FDE, graphics, night lighting and overall realism. Interested to hear any and all opinions. The version in the video above really looks nice. Looking for opinions here, not arguments. thanks

Yes- two good points mentioned above in the two replies. Here's to hoping that once released for FSX as planned, DC-6 sales will soar in hopes that PMDG will release more vintage airliners. If this happens, I hope I'm still among the living to see it.

Interesting to see the contrast in new topics that appear on Avsim between the Dc-6 and T7 a week after release. The T7 flooded the topic of conversation on Avsim for 2 years solid after it's release. Now, a week after the DC-6 was released, hard to find mention of it when you log onto Avsim. Of course, the DC-6 was never meant to be a commercial blockbuster, rather an intro for PMDG into X Plane. But personally, I find the DC-6 much more interesting an thought provoking compared with the T7. But I'm in the minority I know. Speaking of marketing on PMDG's part, as Dire Straights would say," Them guys ain't dumb." They know what sells and what doesn't. So all those who constantly cry out for a PMDG 757 or 767, the interest of the DC-6 ( or lack of) really illustrates these guys know what will turn the wheels of commerce and what won't. I'm glad this experiment turned out to be an AC that really gets me going. Lucky for me.

For anyone who's interested, that Emirates boat was a contender in in the last America's Cup held in San Francisco Bay. I watched it race during the semi finals. Didn't make it into the finals. Oracle's boat eventually won the cup. But, those boats make 50+ knots downwind and 25+ knots going upwind. Unheard of for sailing yachts. Great to see it showed up in FS. And, the animated version as seen here looks just like the real thing. Fun to see.

It's been mentioned a few times in past threads that the DC-6 will initially be a X plane release, followed up thereafter with a FSX version. Time frames? Who knows.

David, .

Hmmm - must be a recording of the real plane. Looks like Henning got the royal treatment and was given liberty's and the tools he would need to replicate the DC-6 the best it could be. At any rate- the model.sounds very real.

Thanks for the video and narrative. Curious, did PMDG record the sound of the actual plane in flight to reproduce what was heard on the video? Sounds great. When my sim died about a year ago I never replaced it and haven't been simming since. This model might win me over to get back into it once released.

As well, I had similar problems ( unexpected shutdowns) . Tuns out I had quite a bit of dust in the fins of the CPU heat sink. As well, the old thermal paste had become dry and brittle. Cleaned everything up and applied fresh thermal paste. No more shut downs. Blue and black screens went away and frame rates drastically improved. Heat can reek havoc. Easy thing to check for. Hope this helps. Best, Brian

Starting today, I have never seen Avsim load up and running so fast and efficient. A thanks to all who stuck with it through recent technical and emotionally challenging times. Although maybe not spoken, the efforts and resources put forth to bring this site to the level its operating now have really paid off. Taking a break from actually simming now, but I still enjoy keeping up with what's happening within the hobby. Avsim has always been my go-to source. Nice to finally see everything working so well and fast. Best, Brian