Lon Duncombe

I'd say JUMP! 🙂

Chalk one up for Andy Johnson!🤪

Sorry, I meant CYTZ. Will try again tomorrow:)

I have not flown MSFS in about 2 months. I haven't flown P3D in about 3 months. MSFS' graphics and immersion ruined P3D for me. MSFS's flaws made it frustrating. So off I went to DCS to see if I could master their A-10C (still working on it). Today I went back to MSFS to see if things had improved. Picked the TBM and decided to take a short flight from CYYT Billy Bishop. On the real weather setting the grass was green, no snow, the temperature plus 19C. Anyone who is anywhere near Toronto knows we are going through a very cold wave, snow, ice etc. After 6 months I am disappointed that Asobo can still not get the weather right, I mean it's wildly off. So back to DCS I grumpily go.

Yellowknife is nowhere near the pole, just over of 62 degrees N. Watson Lake at 60 degrees N. has the same problem. As a bush pilot simmer who used to live in Yellowknife and loved flying the Mackenzie Valley in P3D, I find this a real disappointment. You think it would be an easy fix.

I've bought all of PMDG's aircraft in the past starting with their JS-41, in fact it was that aircraft that convinced me that FSX/P3D could be more than a game. However, I will not be buying their BBJ. Graphically speaking, MFSF has revolutionized the industry. As much as I try to go back to P3D (and I have virtually all the scenery/weather addons, FSlabs, maddog, majestic etc.) it all feels flat and cartoonish. I can't immerse myself in it. Every once in a while I try again and load P3D v5, look around my favourite payware airport (Orbx's PAJN) in my favourite aircraft (Leonardo's MD-3 with Alaska Airlines livery), and then I exit. No go. The problem with MSFS is, of course, the lack of study sims of equivalent quality. I find myself using it less and less and so will probably turn my attention to non-sim pursuits, at least for the next few months.

Those cabin interiors in the BBJ will be giving Abacus a run for their money lol 🤪

Yes!! I had takeout Chinese last night and it really sucked 😞 On the other hand, I felt much better after completing a mission in OnAir using MSFS from my base in Ushuaia. 😀 The scenery was incredible, the winds spot on (always from the west) and the turbulence over the mountains, combined with icing, made the trip immersive and memorable. Thank you Asobo/Microsoft for reinventing the franchise!

Actually I've dumped MSFS and gone all the way back to Sublogic's version 1.0 Had to dig my trusty Tandy 1000 out of the closet and load MSDOS 2.44, but it was well worth it! Great FPS, the disk drive grinding away emulates engine failure very well, and you gotta love those clean, crisp wire frame graphics! Chicago could probably use an ORBX makeover, maybe remodel the Sears Tower, but that's about it. I might try MSFS again when when it matures in another 10 years or so, if I'm still living. (I'm 72)

I spent a lot of time in Prince George, British Columbia back in the 70's. The city was in a valley and the surrounding pulp mills occasionally produced a smog that would layer the city and spread out over the surrounding hills. I had my pilot's licence and would rent 150s for $30 and hour whenever I could afford it. Last night I sat on the CYXS runway in P3DV5, A2A 182. I have all the addons, HIFI, orbx, envtex, etc. etc. The airplane, airport and surroundings were dull, flat and unconvincing. I switched to the same airport in the MSFS 172. I was immersed in a pea soup fog as I remember it, the sloped runway, lights blinking through the haze. I took off, climbed above the fog into the setting sun and eventually found a bush strip that was in the clear. Taxied up to the cabins at the far end, saw a street light through the foliage, it was quite dark now, but one cabin had a welcoming light through the window. When I shut down the G1000 stayed on, but this was the only glitch. Otherwise, the scenery, airports and 172 were totally convincing and the memories came flooding back. Everything was smooth and stutter free (1080Ti, 8700K, 32 Gig Ram). And this, with the exception of FSUIPC, was a 100% default sim. I have never experienced anything remotely similar since my flying days of 40 odd years ago. I can only say, kudos to Asobo and Microsoft for bringing this level of immersion to flight simulation! An outstanding product, which I know will only get better.

On the other hand, MSFS has gone mainstream. With a million customers and counting plus major news coverage on sites such as CNN we are basically niche players. We have little influence on Microsoft. They are out to please the other 95%.

Nav and Alt works fine with me on all prop aircraft so far. Haven't tried the tubeliners. So yeah, it's probably just you.

In June 1979 I flew a 172 from Regina Sask. to Stanhope Municipal Ont. It took 3 days as I had to turn around over the north shore of Superior when ground fog rolled in off the lake. Arriving at Stanhope I "divebombed" my parent's cottage to let them know to pick me up at the airport. No cell phones in those days. The past 2 days I have been able to duplicate that trip to a remarkable degree using the 172 with steam gauges (although the original did have just one OBS and old fashioned analogue radio knobs, it was maps and my trusty wind heading calculator all the way). The scenery is as I remember it and I managed to more or less duplicate the weather. The cottage is still there and I divebombed it once again. Even the default airports feel genuine. This one virtual trip alone has made my purchase of MFSF worth it! I look forward to many more in the future.

NO, MSFS2020 should NOT have been delayed !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Microsoft's goal is to attract tens of thousands of casual simmers and/or newbies who want to get into this hobby. In this respect they are succeeding brilliantly. They couldn't care less about the handful of whiners and complainers on forums such as this. Suck it up. Lon Duncombe