rfresh737

It's been replaced by Part 1a v2 (version 2).

I'm a new developer or perhaps I should say I want to become an FSX developer. I have a developers background in Window Apps using C, C++ and C# and with open source web development languages such as PHP and Javascript. I have installed the FSX SDK onto my Win7 machine. I am currently active on this site in the PMDG 737NGX forum where I spend my time making video tutorials on the 737NGX. As a new developer to SFX I have some questions which I hope I can find some answers to here. Thank you. 1. What IDE is recommended to do the development work with? Is the open source Eclipse IDE an option to use? 2. Is there a preferred language to develop in? 3. I want to develop an add-on to display some textual data in a transparent window as the users are using FSX on a flight. I want to be able to configure the window transparency and I'd like to be able to click in the window and be able to expand some text and collapse it much like an hierarchical/nested view of text. An outliner usually has this ability to expand and contract text elements. Thank you for any help and guidance.

I posted a support ticket with PMDG. They usually take 24 hours to respond. Thanks everyone.

I took off and saved the flight using the CDU but when I shut down and restarted FSX I loaded that flight back in but I was still on the ground so I don't understand what the CDU save flight does (I know it saves the route but it also saves other cockpit panel states and that is what confuses me). So, I still dead in the water because I cannot load a saved flight. Pending any other suggestions to try I guess I will have to uninstall SFX and re-install it...again... :(

I see my saved file in the PMDG panelstate folder. The file is in there. There is a Test.FLT.fmc and a Test.FLT.sav file. I have not edited the FMC since when I first tried saving yesterday I discovered it was not loading correctly. So I thought if I could get he panel state to re-load successfully then I'd try saving an FMC trip. Yes there is a panel state file. I tried loading it from the CDU and it loaded the panel state. So this seemed to work. But I normally don't load that way. I normally load using the free flight load button and this is what is not working. But if the flight loads Ok using the CDU then I don't think I care, right?

The *.fmc and *.sav file in the PMDG folder is time stamped as current when I do a save and exit SFX. My free flight file name is Test so there is a Test.sav and Test.fmc file in the folder. I changed liveries but no change. Still won't re-load a saved flight. This is a fresh Win7 install...I re-formatted my hard drive and then installed FSX into C:\FSX3 (I think that folder name is ok?).

Sorry for the multiple post.

I had to re-install my FSX and now I can't restore a saved flight. I can save it and the file is time stamped ok but when I load the file none of my saved cockpit switches are saved. I run in Admin mode, SFX is installed in C:\FSX3 and I have enabled all FSX3 folder permissions (cascading downward into sub-folders). Maybe I'm missing something obvious? Any ideas I could try would be appreciated. Thanks...

I had to re-install my FSX and now I can't restore a saved flight. I can save it and the file is time stamped ok but when I load the file none of my saved cockpit switches are saved. I run in Admin mode, SFX is installed in C:\FSX3 and I have enabled all FSX3 folder permissions (cascading downward into sub-folders). Maybe I'm missing something obvious? Any ideas I could try would be appreciated. Thanks...

@Baba I ended up splitting the Part 1 'Ground School' video into two parts. There is now Part 1a and Part 1b (to be clear, there is no longer a 'Part 1'). Thank you... Ralph

>I think some airlines wait until closer to the maneuvering speed before extending flaps. I wonder if the plane would have stayed on profile if you didn't >drop the flaps as early. @Spin737 I agree that I dropped the flaps early, but that was done on purpose. When making a video, a lot of time is used talking about what you are doing and how or maybe even why you are doing something. This all takes time. One of my reviewers made the suggestion for me to briefly discuss the Maximum Maneuvering Speed Amber Bar since it comes into view when you select flaps 5. I decided to do so, but this takes time too. So, a lot of things were going to happen on that transition leg lol, starting with putting out flaps 1, so that's why I did so a little earlier than normal perhaps. In the end, making training videos is a compromise of when do you do what action and still have enough time to talk about it. I suppose if I had a long discussion on something I would just Pause the simulator but so far I've not had to do that.

OK, I have uploaded a version 2 Part 4 ILS video to my YouTube Channel. This one should now be correct...!!!

I'm a detail guy too and I'm laughing (sadly, not happily) at myself tonight thinking how in the world did I mess this up? I want to make it clear this was my screw up on the filming and my 6 reviewers had nothing to do with it. I suppose if my filming structure were done in pieces or in parts, it would be easier to just re-shoot the offending part(s) but I like to film in one continuous take. So that means a lot of takes because, being human, small mistakes happen or something is not quite right. You have to get both the audio correct and the action being filmed correct. I end up doing a lot of takes to get a good video. It just takes a lot of work, time and effort, but I really like the one continuous video shoot method.

I don't know the inner workings of how the FMC selects the way points and intersections (on the ILS plates) that it does. Perhaps someone else might know the answer. You can enter in some of the other ILS intersections that come before BALTE on that approach, such as CAGOR and/or FALGO, if you wanted to, but I don't know why you would. But you can do it, the FMC will accept them without complaining. Hi Art, You're right and I see what happened...I had that red AP light come on but didn't know why...I thought I hit a button on my stick and in fact I did...it tripped off the AP but I didn't hear the aural warning. I had FD left on the PFD. Things were partially restored when I pressed CMD B to bring back the AP but I thought I had CMD A on too and I didn't. So I ended up making a single AP landing. That's how the landing worked but you're right, there was no Flare Arm or LAND3 as I called. So why did I call those? Well, no question I should have been paying closer attention but when you have flown 6 to 8 of these in one day just to get one good video, I guess your eyes just assume some things are there when they are not. I have no excuses. I messed it up. Tomorrow I will re-do it and upload a correct Part 4 ILS. When you make videos, you most likely won't get the one you want on the first take. Or the second. At least i don't. I guess the lesson here is when you get a red AP light, pay better attention!! Notice: I'm going to take the video down within the hour since it's really messed up. I'll have a correct one up tomorrow.

When I input the destination airport, runway, STAR and transition, the FMC ends the Star at ARLIN, gives a discontinuity line, and then shows BALTE (the start of the ILS approach). All I had to do was connect BALTE into the discontinuity line in the CDU and that completed the route (and created the transition leg). Ralph

Great question. The transition leg came from the FMC. It created it automatically to connect the Star to the ILS localizer.

I just upload Part 4. 737NGX Boot Camp Series Part 4 Blythe4 STAR Phoenix ILS. Simulator Flying Demo. Part 4 is an add-on to the ILS series. It was requested by one of the flight simulator enthusiasts. I hope you enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji0OAAPRC68

Thanks Paul and Al. I will be adding a few more to this ILS series but as separate videos. I have Part 4 currently in review by a team of volunteers now numbering 6. When Part 4 is released as 'Public' (available to everyone) I will start in on the next ILS approaches which I have been asked to do: Non-LNAV/VNAV ILS, an ATC vectored ILS and flying an ILS using the HUD. I was planning to work on my next video series which is the MCP but I guess that will have to wait now until I get all of these other ILS videos done

>In Ralph's video of the standard ILS (Part 2) he says setting the heading bug to the inbound course takes care of localiser capture. Gosh, I hope I didn't actually say that because it's not a valid statement. What I said (I believe) was after localizer capture, your action item is to set the HDG to the inbound localizer course just to have it match up and in case of a go around. That's all you do it for. Edit Update: I just reviewed the Part 2 ILS video in question and I believe Kevin is referring to the fist half of that video where I am saying i will keep an eye on watching for LOC capture so I can set the HDG to the inbound course. I agree Kevin, my words were not as clear as in the second half flying demo where I clearly say now that we have captured the localizer, we can set the HDG to the inbound approach course. Sorry if my wording in the first half was not completely clear and was mis-understood. >It might be worth considering showing another ILS approach from other than LNAV/VNAV as well. Good idea...thanks for the suggestion.

I think I may have misunderstood your comment. Yes, i agree now, I probably should have made a DH auto land to keep it simple. I was "practicing" making a full blown fail operational AH autoland, but in hind sight, I probably should not have done that. Sorry for the double post everyone. I thought my connection to the forum was frozen on my browser, but obviously not. It was just a slow connection to avsim.net.

I think I may have misunderstood your comment. Yes, i agree now, I probably should have made a DH auto land to keep it simple. I was "practicing" making a full blown fail operational AH autoland, but in hind sight, I probably should not have done that.

@g_precentralis Thank you for your comments. As I say often, I'm still learning the aircraft. I just missed the NPS situation. KLAS is somewhat of a challenge and in fact, if you're configured to allow GS capture before LOC, that's the approach that will do that. I recorded that scenario in fact but I did not use it. I kept the recording of the GS capturing quickly right after LOC capture to show the new flight simmers that you must expect the unexpected and not panic or get too stressed out (as they have often told me they get). I thought it was a good compromise from a teaching perspective. I was shooting a fail operational autoland so there was no DA/DH for me. It was Alert Height all the way. Regarding the setting of the ILS course on both sides: It's just a very strong habit from my level D sim training days. We always instructed the student Captains and F/O's to set both sides. That was the standard for all the manufacturers I worked for (Lockheed, Douglas, Boeing) and the two major airlines. I guess for me at least, just setting on the Captains side would feel so strange to me, maybe like driving on the wrong side of the road lol.

Thank you for the kind words. To answer your questions: (1) I have SFX configured via the CDU to automatically enter the courses on both sides when I set an ILS frequency: PMDG SETUP->OPTIONS->SIMULATION PAGE 2/3->SET SFX LOC CRS When we fly the PMDG 737NGX, we do so as single pilots, therefore, any time I can get the simulator to 'help me out' and do something or set something, I usually allow it. I'm busy enough trying to fly single pilot and do the job of two pilots as it is :lol: (2) I never just set the Captains side. I always set the F/O's side too.

Thank you for that correction. This is in reference to step #2. I find it odd that Boeing would have the LOC and GS pointer checks at this early stage in the approach (but they do in the FCTM). Many times I don't see the magenta diamond glide slope pointer until I'm well established on the inbound course (and well past step #2 in the ILS sequence). Edited: Maybe someone else can chime in here, but the only thing I can think of at this point, is that their ILS diagram with Step #2 having "LOC and GS pointers shown" must be a very generic ILS diagram. Meaning, that Boeing is assuming the aircraft is intercepting the localizer close in enough so that there will be a LOC and GS needle showing. That's the only thing I can think of at the moment.

I'm releasing my next video tutorials in my Basics Boot Camp Series called "How To Fly A Perfect ILS". I've been contacted by several flight simmers asking for a video tutorial on how to fly a good ILS approach. They tell me speed is the number one problem for them when trying to fly an ILS. They are coming in to intercept the localizer too fast and they don't really know how that happens. In some cases they are coming in to intercept the localizer at 250 kts. I hope these video tutorials solve those speed issues and perhaps, some other gray areas as well. This ILS video project has turned out to be much bigger than I originally thought. Many of you have been emailing me asking "is it done yet?" "It is done yet?" Yes, I'm behind schedule but honestly, I have spent most of my time for the last 7 days creating, recording, editing and trying to finish up this ILS series. A lot of video re-recordings, a lot of video production editing, etc. My training standards are very high and all of this takes time to produce. But it's all worth it because I know all of the new flight simmers appreciate the end results. Now that I have uploaded this information to this post, I am going to take a couple of days off and rest up before starting work on Part 4 of this ILS series! So, back to the videos. This is a multi-part video tutorial: YouTube links are at the end of this post. Part 1a - the Ground School basics on how to correctly set up for the ILS approach. Part 1b - the Ground School basics on how to correctly set up for the ILS approach. Part 2 - PMDG 737NGX simulator demo, flying a Boeing standard ILS. Part 3 - PMDG 737NGX simulator demo, flying a non-standard ILS. Part 4 - a bonus flying demo. I am releasing parts 1 through 3 now and I will be adding this part 4 flying demo over the next few days. Note that the ground school Part 1 has been broken down into two parts: Part 1a and Part 1b. I thought I could do the ground school Part 1 video in one shot but it got kind of long, so I decided to split it into two parts. I want to say a big thank you to my three helpers: Spin737 (Matt Colles) made several suggestions on changes to reflect real world flying. scandinavian13 (Kyle Rogers) checked the video for technical accuracy. Kyle thanks for your technical review. Everyone appreciates the depth and breathe of your experience on the 737NGX in this forum. efmartin (Eric Martin) checked the draft video and made several suggestions for better clarity on some of the topics. All of their suggestions were implemented. This collaboration process helps to ensure that what you all see is technically correct and reflects what a real 737NGX pilot does when flying. If you have any questions or comments after viewing these video tutorials, please PM me here or email me at the email address shown in the opening screen of the Part 1a ground school video. I hope you all enjoy viewing these ILS video tutorials. YouTube links: Part 1a - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to2mWqp4kNU Part 1b - Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU5zcxgXUO4 Part 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKD8H5-SkUQ Part 4 Coming soon!