Let's talk about flying airplanes?

[Rick310]

26 minutes ago, VirtualGAaviator said:

Then I fell in love with the PC-12

Is this aircraft made by Carenado? If so,  I have this aircraft and there is no ground roll sound and makes it very hard to tell when your wheels touch the ground, and can make for some hard landing. Other then that the aircraft flys very well. I flew the aircraft for about 100 hours and quit and never have flown it since.

 

28 minutes ago, VirtualGAaviator said:

To move an aircraft from one location to another you have to fly it there. No teleporting

This is the way I have been operating for some time now. There is no teleporting in my virtual world.

[daemotron]

2 hours ago, VirtualGAaviator said:

If y'all haven't tried FSEconomy, then it worth a look. To move an aircraft from one location to another you have to fly it there. No teleporting.

Over the past ~6 years I logged over 10,000 flights there. Does that make me an addict...?

It's a cool platform, but it's hard to resist the drag towards buying the next, bigger aircraft to make more money (so you can afford the next, even bigger aircraft...).

[Rick310]

3 hours ago, daemotron said:

Does that make me an addict...?

YES, No question.

[VirtualAviator]

21 hours ago, daemotron said:

Over the past ~6 years I logged over 10,000 flights there. Does that make me an addict...?

That's only 1667 flight per year, averaged. Or about 4 1/2 flights per day, everyday, 7 days per week. Nah. You're not addicted.

[VirtualAviator]

23 hours ago, Rick310 said:

Is this aircraft made by Carenado? If so,  I have this aircraft and there is no ground roll sound and makes it very hard to tell when your wheels touch the ground, and can make for some hard landing. Other then that the aircraft flys very well. I flew the aircraft for about 100 hours and quit and never have flown it since.

I can't recall having that issue with my copy. Here's a quick landing. Carenado's version was so lacking that I purchased and flew the STMA version mostly. The STMA version was ported from XP10 and the graphics where never updated. However, the systems were modeled much deeper than Carenado' version. The STMA version looked much more cartoonish, though.

[daemotron]

I wish someone made a PC-12 with deep systems and great visuals. I don't necessarily need the NGX with Honeywell's Primus Apex avionics; the older NG with EFIS, EHSI and GNS will do as well.

Heck, I even found this cockpit, and we actually do have all the ingredients available: G500, GTNs...

[VirtualAviator]

2 hours ago, daemotron said:

I wish someone made a PC-12 with deep systems and great visuals.

I'm with you, Bro. Although, I'd love to see the NG(X), I'd settle for the legacy model with deep systems.  I've only purchased 2 airplanes for MSFS and Carenado's PC-12 was one of 'em. It wasn't much better than the XP11 version. The only other airplane I might purchase for MSFS is the PC-12 when SimWorks release their version (they've been working on it for almost 2 years - I think). That's how much I love the PC-12.  The JF Arrow III/V was the other MSFS purchase.

Cool cockpit pic, btw.

[Rick310]

I fly the Piper Arrow 3 and the mixture lever. Rich of peak or lean of peak. All aircraft POH's recommend running rich of peak. There are two gauges that will reflect the mixture settings. The EGT and the CHT and the CHT gauge is not in all aircraft, my piper does not have the gauge. I think the Cylinder head temperature gauge is the most important. If you only have the Exhaust gas temperature gauge then you have work off this gauge.

I run the JF Piper Arrow 3 Lean of peak because of the oil temperature stays cooler then Rich of peak. And I read also the CHT will run cooler  in real world aircraft.

I used to have a article that backs up my data, but it is no longer available.

[daemotron]

The Lycoming IO360 powering most Arrows should be either flown ROP (Power Cruise) or at peak EGT (Economy Cruise). Leaning is done based on EGT, not CHT - but a CHT gauge can help preventing exceeding max CHT. Flying it lean of peak is an "off-label" use.

For reference: here's an Arrow POH: http://www.jasonblair.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Piper-Arrow-PA28R-201.pdf
and here the IO-360 operating manual: https://www.lycoming.com/sites/default/files/attachments/O-HO-IO-HIO-AIO%20%26%20TIO-360%20Oper%20Manual%2060297-12.pdf

[Rick310]

4 hours ago, daemotron said:

Leaning is done based on EGT, not CHT

True, because the arrow does not have an CHT gauge. The JF Arrow 3, if you would run at peak, you will exceed max temperature on the EGT and risk burning a hole in your exhaust pipes. I read the POH on the arrow, but the engine gauges on JF Arrow 3 do not reflex what the poh says. With that said, I run my JF arrow 3 225 degrees lean of peak, brings the EGT temperature lower than max EGT temperature.

Again, the article I had to reference what I am saying no longer exist.

In a real arrow 3 aircraft, I agree with your references. But would I follow the POH in real life????? I have never flown a real aircraft of any kind.

 

[VirtualAviator]

Speaking of flying a single airplane, one of the problems I have is that I'll start my sim, get the virtual hanger page and stare. I have a plethora of airplanes to fly. What do I feel like today? hmmm.... (tick-tock, tick-tock) hmmm. Oh well, I'll fly tomorrow.

Edited May 31, 2023 by VirtualGAaviator

[Blueb]

Think you have a problem, I have so many I had to create an app that 'random sorts' my selection. haha

[Rick310]

Next month I buy a new computer. After that, I may go on an aircraft spending spree.  First two aircraft is the 208 by thranda and DA62 by whats its name, VirtualGAaviator recommended. After that depends on the budget.

[VirtualAviator]

1 hour ago, Blueb said:

Think you have a problem, I have so many I had to create an app that 'random sorts' my selection. haha

WOW! Let's form XAA - X-Plane Aircraft Anonymous.

[Blueb]

On 5/31/2023 at 12:57 PM, VirtualGAaviator said:

Speaking of flying a single airplane, one of the problems I have is that I'll start my sim, get the virtual hanger page and stare. I have a plethora of airplanes to fly. What do I feel like today? hmmm.... (tick-tock, tick-tock) hmmm. Oh well, I'll fly tomorrow.

Yep... I do have a bigger problem than I thought. I notice you have 55 plane choices. Good Golly, I have a problem!

[VirtualAviator]

OMG. 324 is a lot. That's more than I have even if I check the show earlier version box. If I were to move my XP11 aircraft over, I'd run a close 2nd, no doubt. .  However, I only run XP12 native aircraft.

[Blueb]

21 hours ago, VirtualGAaviator said:

OMG. 324 is a lot. That's more than I have even if I check the show earlier version box. If I were to move my XP11 aircraft over, I'd run a close 2nd, no doubt. .  However, I only run XP12 native aircraft.

I brought all my XP11 planes over when I got my XP12 program up and running. I was planning on removing the planes that didn't work properly in XP12... but it's not as easy as I thought. If there are issues... is it an XP11/12 issue, or something else?

Result: I need to do more checking, but I'm too busy flying. haha

[VirtualAviator]

AFAIK, most issues concern the autopilot and/or power thrust levels. Of course, stuff like windshield effects won't work. Nevertheless, I think almost all the planes will fly. Some might cause CTDs.

The more I read 3rd party devs blogs the more I'm learning that XP12 is a vastly different beast than XP11.

At the end of the day, it's entirely up to each user whether they want to fly XP11 aircraft in XP12.

[Rick310]

You know back in the day, Microsoft would come out with a new simulator and very few aircraft would work from the old simulator. Now LR is doing the same with xp. And I think the 3rd party devs have something to do with this. This is all about money. 3rd party devs are charging for updated aircraft, not all of them , some are.

LR has come out with programs like WED and make a plane and others for free, where Microsoft never did that, you have to pay for all these other programs.

And again I will say, I have no interest in XP12 right now. I have too much invested in XP11( time and money) to switch now. With a new computer coming next month, I will finally see what XP11 really looks like.

Back to flying my Piper arrow 3 in Alaska. I have over 200 hours in the arrow 3 and my landings are getting better and better. Main reason is I am learning how compensate for the engine torque, always pulling to the left. Using my ailerons on approach, then just before I touch down, I kick in my rudder to point the nose straight down the runway and flare. Bam, Nailed it!! My vertical  landing speeds are under a 100 all the time. Soft as a feather.

I am a true flight simulator bush pilot.

[Cameron]

51 minutes ago, Rick310 said:

And I think the 3rd party devs have something to do with this. This is all about money.

3rd party devs had no say in this at all. Updating aircraft for X-Plane 12 is a huge effort, and one with which devs wish wasn't so involved. It's more productive to work on new products than to update old.

[Rick310]

2 hours ago, Cameron said:

Updating aircraft for X-Plane 12 is a huge effort, and one with which devs wish wasn't so involved. It's more productive to work on new products than to update old.

Ok, Well  my apologies. I have no idea what it takes to make an aircraft or update an aircraft. What is the profit 3rd party devs make off a new aircraft made for xp11 or 12. The time it takes make and test the aircraft, then find somone to sell their products like x-aviation which I know gets a piece of the profits. All this will equal to an hourly wage for the 3rd party devs.

I get not wanting to update old products. More time spent(time is money) on an old product. Then if they do not charge for the update, they lose money. I get it.

I did not follow XP11 when it first came out. I bought it 2 years after it came out and their were  a lot of aircraft available to buy.

Now XP12 comes out and seems it is taking forever to come out with new aircraft for XP12. But lets see what this looks like after 2 years. Then LR will continue to change XP12 that will affect the existing aircraft and now another update or in some cases with XP11, No updates. New aircraft show up.

@Cameron Thank-you for your reply and please accept my apologies. Other forums would have deleted my post or suspended me. This is why I am with x-pilots.com.

[VirtualAviator]

Rick,

I think most 3 party devs are more frustrated than we are with the changes LR has made to XP12 - pray-tell it'll be worth the pain in the end. Many were promising free upgrades from XP11 to XP12. The upgrade from XP10 to XP11 was straightforward, from what I've heard. The upgrade to XP12 is bumpy and curvy. The devs didn't anticipate the guts of the sim to be as radically different from XP11 as it turned out. In fact, many thought they'd be able to have the XP12 versions of their aircraft deployed within days. At this point, it is going on months and we're still waiting on some aircraft. The good news is that most GA aircraft that rely on LR's G430, G530 and G1000 were able to get released relatively quickly. More complex aircraft seem to have be rewritten. I've been following the progress of the 737-300 by IXEG and have recently started reading a blog by X-Crafts. Both have given examples of how something that seemly should have taken a day or so to do, turned into weeks. The difference is that one developer has chosen to release his product in a "good enough" state with known bugs and a commitment to fix them, while the other has chosen to squash as many bugs as possible before releasing it.

I'm waiting on my beloved TBM900. Since I haven't been following the redevelopment of the airplane, it's easy to assume that the dev has moved on or just taking his sweet time. However, I know better. Many devs have multiple offerings and limited time and resources. After flying a rushed plane, I've decided that I'd rather be patient than to rush them.

The question whether to charge for the XP12 version is a tough one. I can see why it's hard to just give away, for free, months and months of reworking logic, and testing code (only to have the sim change and break the code and have to start again). Tools like Planemaker won't cut (alone) it in today's simming environment. Planemaker, IMO, is a great learning tool for someone who's getting started and want to make a cartoonish looking airplane with default datarefs and, drop-in avionics... but what do I know? I'm not a dev. Complex aircraft require complex programming logic and rigorous testing. I, for one, don't mind paying a dev for their work if it delivers the value I crave, even if it means paying for an aircraft twice (within reason).

[Rick310]

VirtualGAaviator,

I agree with you. I put my foot in my mouth and said something I know nothing about and Cameron Corrected me. I have no problem paying for an aircraft, I have learned with xp11 about quality aircraft or complex aircraft. I have figured out which devs makes good complex aircraft. And I have my eye on about 4 aircraft for xp11. But first a new computer. Since I retired, I do not have the funds I had when I was working. I took a 50% cut in funds when I retired. But all good, I love being retired. So paying for aircraft has slowed down. And I have about 5 aircraft that I have bought that I flat out do not like and will not fly ever again. And most of my aircraft come from Carenado. I have 2 aircraft from Carenado that I do like to fly and 3 aircraft from Just Flight that I like to fly.

As I said above, Right now I have no interest in XP12. I have spent a lot of time modifying a lot of airport sceneries. And the aircraft that I have bought to switch right now. I am sold on xp and will never leave this simulator. I will switch to xp12 in due time.

Thank you for thoughts on 3rd party devs. I still wonder what is the profit margin on aircraft vs the time it takes to develop one aircraft and put it on the market. Then the time spent supporting the aircraft after it is on the market. It is hard for me to see how these people make any money with the time they spend on one aircraft. Time is money, bottom line. But they do or they would not be doing it.

[VirtualAviator]

16 minutes ago, Rick310 said:

I put my foot in my mouth and said something I know nothing about

You didn't. Remember, "A good (sim) pilot is always learning". My rant/blub wasn't intended for you personally, although I did preface with your name. I tend to imagine a great deal of folks reading through some of these post and thus learn something (or at least entertain another opinion).

Since simming is the only thing I spend money on, I tend to go for it. I don't drink or smoke so I consider this my vice. That's why I'm quick to pickup sim stuff. House is paid for, kid is grown and gone, oh yeah... no wife. Nevertheless, this isn;t about how many aircraft we have, or who can afford this or that. It's about a passion, learning and most of all, having fun.

So no, I don't think you are tasting your leathery foot.

Edited June 6, 2023 by VirtualGAaviator
grammer corrections

[Rick310]

1 hour ago, VirtualGAaviator said:

I don't drink or smoke so I consider this my vice. That's why I'm quick to pickup sim stuff. House is paid for, kid is grown and gon

WOW! Same here, no smoke or drink and no drugs. Our house is paid for. I do have a wife and she is the greatest woman in the world in my eyes. Kids are gone.

Flight simulation is all I do everyday , all day. The only thing I work at is my weight. Not very active, so I really have to watch what and how much I eat daily. 5'11" tall and 200 lbs, I have a beer gut, but I do not drink. I am working very hard to lose weight and get below 200 lbs.

The main reason I not buying aircraft is because one I have been saving for a new computer and two my wife and I are tight wads.