PhantomTweak

You might try adjusting the values for those lights in your FSX.CFG file.

Make a back-up before doing ANY editing!!

Open the FSX.CFG file in Notepad, included with Windows.

Scan down through it for the heading [Display] .

Under that heading should be 4 lines, that look like this:

RUNWAY_LIGHTS_SURFACE_SCALAR=1.27 //scales edge, center, end, touchdown, runways
RUNWAY_LIGHTS_VASI_SCALAR=0.77 // scales VASI lights)
RUNWAY_LIGHTS_APPROACH_SCALAR=0.77 // scales approach light bars
RUNWAY_LIGHTS_STROBE_SCALAR=0.77 //scales RAILs and ODALs) 

If the lines shown don't exist, add them yourself. To adjust a certain effect, like the VASI lights, for example, increase the number after the = (equals) sign. Only adjust it a couple of tenths at a time. You'll have to completely shut FSX down and restart it to see the effect the changes have made.

I don't know if this will solve the problem, but I've found it quite useful. Hope this helps a little...

Pat☺

 

...Yuma is just a desert, after all!

Boy, O BOY, don't I know it! I lived there for nearly 30 years, and y'know what? I despised the place every second I was there! I hate Yuma with a passion.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincon, how did you enjoy the play?

Great pics, thanx for NOT including any Yuma pics. I sure appreciate it!

Great flights, and fair weather!

Pat☺

Thank you, Pugilist

Pat☺

Meant and made with only the greatest respect and gratitude!

The P-51D "The Flying Undertaker" from Mark "fire Ball" Rooks, and based on Roger Dial's great model.

Scenery by Dale Caruso. The destination for our Memorial Flight.

Inspiration by and great gratitude to Mr. Allensworth.

Soaring to the clouds.

I can't think of a more fitting screencap to post.

Thanks for taking a look.

Pat☺

When I was in the Corps, Zulu time was the universal reference. It made life so much, especially when communicating or travelling between bases that might be in different time zones, or in zones that did or did not use DST.

For example, MCAS Yuma, AZ is in a state that doesn't use DST at all (YAAAY!! I HATE DST! Just my opinion, though), and frequently has doings with NAS El Centro, about 60 miles away in California, a state that does use DST and is in a different time zone to begin with. No real distance apart, relatively, but can you imagine the confusion that would result using local times? I shudder to think! It was so much easier to set all the clocks and watches (my watch, anyway) to Zulu Time, and leave them. A simple glance and you know exactly what's being referenced, rather than adding X for time zones, then subtracting Y for DST, or was adding Y for DST, etc etc...

Again, just my opinion!

Pat☺

Great pictures as always, Aharon, and amazingly, for you, not a single trace of snow anywhere

Thanks for a wonderful post

Pat☺

You might want to pop over to Hovercontrol.com.

They are the be-all and end-all of flight sim helicopters. They have choppers, many tested by real-world helicopter pilots. They can set up flight instruction in multiplayer, for "real as it gets" flying of a sim bird, again, with real-world Flight Instructors. Anything Helicopter related, it's THE place to go.

Additionally, I would look at their forums for the famous HTRv1.5. or whatever it's up to now. Helicopter Total Realism is a small, add-on software, that takes what the game thinks a helicopter should be doing, corrects all the physics parameters for the chopper, and feeds the info back into the game. It's amazing. FS sims in general seem to be totally rotten at making choppers fly "real" and HTR corrects that. It was developed for the sims by a wonderfully intelligent man, with a great deal experience with real-world physics and engineering experiece. It was tested and had a ton of input from numerous real-world helicopter pilots, so it's pretty accurate.

Anyway, give them a look, if you want to really "fly" a helicopter in the  sim world! Well worth the time and effort.

Pat☺

Just a thought:

Maybe the last group could execute a Missing Man formation? Diamond formation, Slot position pulls up and away to a vertical reverse as they go over the airport? Or Echelon formation, farthest from Lead does the same thing? Maybe just a formation fly over of Charlotsville?

Heck, any of the groups, all of the groups, some of the groups? Even one is a huge tribute, in my humble opinion.

Just a couple of thoughts. None essential. I just go by my own military experience. And yes, I knew a couple of pilots who...umm...did not return from flights? To me, a Missing Man flyover is a huge tribute to send a pilot off on his last, greatest flight, as the saying goes.

Thanks for letting me join you all, by the by. I appreciate it.

Pat☺

Thank you, and if desired I can go to the P-51 used for the RTWF or one of the other designated planes. I'm not great at the big guys but fighters etc are fine...

Pat☺

Call me a traitor, but I would like to join, if I may. I realize I was the flyer of the last leg of the Round The World Race a while ago, but I would sure like to join this tribute flight, if I may be permitted.

Name:    Pat "PhantomTweak" Bernard

Aircraft:  Milton Shupe's Spartan 7W, Black Five

Thank you for this opportunity,

Pat☺

My  deepest condolances to Tom's family, and to all here at AvSim. I learned so much from this site, the experience wouldn't be the same.

Tom, you're cleared for altitude Unlimited, and may you final flight be smooth and free and forever upward and outward. Peace upon your spirit, SIR!

Pat

I fly choppers a lot, and I won't consider flying one without HTR running! It's the best of the best add-on I've ever used. AND, having read up on it in the forums, apparently RW pilots seem to think so too. They have some pilots of real helicopters they utilize for testing and development of the program and the various config files that have been written so far. Those guys feel as I do: Don't bother using the choppers in the flight sims without HTR running.

Best part of it, to my mind, is how readily editable the .cfg files are, even while everything is operating. Makes life a LOT easier than having to restart a bird for a small, juuuust right type of change.

Another hugely beneficial set of tweaks is available at http://www.hovercontrol.com/artman/publish/article_88.shtml  . It is a couple of articles by Jordan Moore, a man who, IMHO, knows more about helicopters and they way flight sims model and present them than almost any person I ever met. His choppers are incredible too. I would strongly suggest reading the articles he wrote. His chopper tweaks require a little bit of .air file editing, but once you read his articles you'll be very comfortable doing this sort of thing. He makes it easy, and you can expand upon the basic "tools" he gives one to go on and, should you desire to, make other changes in aircraft.cfg and .air files to make the chopper work perfectly on your system. Every system is different, and often what wokrs great on computer A won't fly wrth a darn on computer B.

Anyway, just my 2 cents worth the subject...

Pat☺

Me, I'm a huge fan of Dino Cattaneo's F-14B or D, the FA-18F by Team FS KBT, the Bell 206bIII megapack by Owen Hewitt, and for low/slow fixed wing flight the REALAIR SIMULATIONS Cessna 172SP. Those are the most used I've got. Notice they're all freeware birds. I haven't payed for a plane, or scenery yet. I got FS2004 ACOF back when it first hit the store in 2004, and haven't seen any reson to upgrade   I DID upgrade my joystick a couple years ago, but that's about as far as I've gone. Some say I'm cheap, Prefer "FRUGAL". Very very frugal...

I will take a tour in Milton Shupe's birds, whether Bob Hoover's Rockwell Commander 500 Shrike, or the gorgeous Spartan Executive he makes. For the bush, it's only the default Cessna 208, believe it or not. Haven't found a more versatile bird yet. For me, bear in mind.

Anyway, that's all. I'm not a big fan of the tubes. I don't want to spend a few hours prepping for a flight, programing the plane, the FMC making the flightplan etc, only to sit and watch the autopilot fly the plane. That's just me though

OH! I wanted to mention, I have finally gotten comfortable enough that I am no longer the slightest bit shy about getting into the Aircraft.cfg, the *.air file, and the Panel.cfg files. I'm even working on learning the whole XML thing for making gauges. Some of my panels, especially, bear almost no resemblance to the one that came with the bird, but they're functionality is just perfect for me Only thing I miss so far is a proper fire extinguishing system, not just a fuel cut-off switch...But I keep looking!

Have great flights all, whatever you chose to fly

Pat☺

I got mine instantly. I have noted a slight problem with certain emails though. I think it doesn't recognize the server and ignores the request. Try getting one of the freebie email addresses and try to get the confirmation with that...

Pat☺

Take care when talking about bread. In australia it is sexist to use the term Gingerbread Men instead they are genderless gingerbread figures.

I never realized Cornbread had genders! Is there a way to determine the gender of a cornbread?

And no, I won't say anything about about eating cornbread with butter and honey...

All cake needs frosting though!

I think I shut up  now...

Pat☺

The FS9 (or FS2004 ACOF, if you prefer, same-same) real-world weather seems iffy, at best, as to whether or not it's working. Seems like most of the time you get whatever is on the website the last time it decided to work. May be a year, or 5 years ago, no telling. This is all a well known and thoroughly ignored FS9 issue.

Use FSRealWX lite or full version. Freeeware, fast, and I think I saw a FPS hit of 1 once...Just have to register on the site, also free. That's it. Load up a flight, alt-tab out, load up FSRealWX, go back to the sim and have a good flight

Pat☺

Pi r squared

Pie are square?

No, CORNBREAD are square! Pie are round!

 

...and we made one more withdrawl from the luck bag and put it in the experience bag.

You can always tell a Navy/MC pilot, but in my experience, you can't tell them much!

No offence intended, just my smart-alek poking it's head out. That phrase seems to be popular with the Navy/MC. Not a thing wrong with it, just sounded real familiar, was all.

Great flights and clear skies to all!

Pat☺

Why is patience in such short supply?

That's why I had to quit medical school; I have no patients

Sorry, I can't stop the smart-alek from emerging at times

Pat☺

I can step ya through, if you want. Just send me a PM and you'll be able to add the gauge to any plane you desire. Your experience in Photoshop would actually prove helpful

Pat☺

@JFriz: Glad I could help a little, if help I did I doubt though the author will give PMDG permission, he seemed pretty adamant about it staying free, and they make a lot of money.

@~Vette: If you know the littlest bit about Panel editing, you can add it into any plane you like quite easily

Pat☺

You guys are all totally correct, the pilots, yes both, were totally at fault for the final end result. The point I was trying to get across was that the airliners DO in fact have to worry about icing, albeit only during certain portions of the flight. I was simply trying to make sure for myself of what Zack was saying, was all. I wasn't arguing against pilot error in any way They DID make many mistakes, but the jet still succumbed, in the end, to icing. Yes, entirely due to the pilot's mistakes, but icing nonetheless. That's all I was saying

And yes, FS9 and FSX don't model it well at all, that's why I recommended the ice01.zip file It helps model it so any plane in either sim can have the effects of icing properly installed and working, to help add "realism" to a flight No matter if it's only during the first 3 mnutes of a flight, or the entire thing, no matter if it's a 787 or a C150. That's all I was working on saying. I didn't mean to head the thread in the direction I think I did, and I apologise  for that.

Hope this clears things up a little. I guess I threw waaaaay too much mud into my original post. Sorry bout that

Pat☺

And that was pilot error.   :(

 

I don't recall the "official" causes, I just  know they at fist blamed wing leading edge icing for loss of lift, or maybe it was just "wing icing", and when they went into the noise reduction routine, the plane stalled without room to recover. If it was the piltos faults then so be it, I have a horrible memory...

My point was, or was trying to be, that even the tubes do have icing problems May well be only under specific and limited conditions, but it's still there. That was all I was trying to say, in my roundabout and obviously not very good way...

Pat☺

In the file "icev10.zip" both in this library and in Flightsim's, there is a rather long and involved explanation of how MSFS (FS9 in particaular, but I believe it applies to FSX also) handles (or doesn't) icing conditions, and what to do to make them model it properly. The included gauge, (0 width, 0 height, just add it right into a panel) makes it all happen correctly, thus properly simulating icing as it really happens in the real world. It also includes a very nice indicator gauge you can add in, as well as the instructions on how to make the ".air" file work properly for DE-icining, as in how to ensure the de-icing systems of any aircraft will function correctly.

It may be worth a look, if you want...

And as to the biggrer liners not worrying about icing, all I can ever think of is the Air Florida (a 737, I think) flight out of Washington DC one winter night that wound up in the Patomac right after take-off...as well as the heroic efforts of all those who saved those were savable...

Long time ago...

Pat☺

Are you sure the batteries are charging? The  generators are on? Sounds like maybe, perhaps the batteries go dead sometime during the flight, or you leave them on too long after shutdown/before startup and they drain and are too low...? Is there an APU you can use? Start the APU and use it to start the engines? I don't have the plane or even FSX (just good old fs2004) but there are a few scenarios that the batteries don't get charged back to full after a start due to the lack of a generator switch in the cockpit. You have to, in that situation, use a plane with a gen switch in the cockpit as a default and make sure it's "ON" before loading the plane you want, or adding a generator switch to the bird that's lacking.

May or may not be the situation, I don't know. Just offering a suggestion

Pat☺