Hueyman

Absolutely gorgeous

Okay, please let me give you my excuses And now, please try to move on So, would you please let us know a bit more about the goals you're aiming for the future of Sky Maxx Pro ? Honestly, I would be glad to know more about it !

No, an objective one. Don't want to argue with anyone but if you take time to read my posts, I'm as negative as positive, can be really enthusiastic while being pessimistic on other sides. But that's not the matter here. I just added my 2 cents to the OP message, I know SMP is one of the most innovative product of the year ( and even past years ... ) and ask John himself, I'm the first to be thankful for that. But I can't just say " Hey, this is marvelous " and stay quiet for things that could be improved. I know you'll tell me there is room for improvement in every product, but if a user can't comment what he/she may like to see in the future, what is the point of having a forum ? I thought I told that in a very objective and respectful way but as usual, I'm pointed as a bad boy. For your last comment, I left FS in 2005 and will never go back again, I just took these images because I think they are a nice representation of how clouds are in real life. I'm a real pilot and I'm well aware how it feels when flying through a cloud top, the speed feeling etc ... I know REX and Cie. uses nice HD 2D images, that are only nice looking at from a certain point. I just said I also know screens of the 1.0 were much closer to reality than what we have now, that's all. This isn't, in any case, a fact for me not to LOVE SMP anymore, I just added this, and I feel really sorry you feel frustrated or attacked

Thanks for your answer John, I am sorry to say this, but even in WiP, what you show here is more or less the same thing we have ( trust me, don't want to criticize or have such non-constructive behavior ) Don't know what the others think, but I would rather wait one year or more to have a true ground breaking version, than download every two months a slightly better version but with more or less the same things behind the scene. I don't know how you work, and how X-Plane handle that, but can we hope for such wonders in the X-Plane 10 run ? Or this is simply impossible due to actual technical limitations ? What shocks me the most now is the blurriness of the clouds edges... On nice weather, cumulus are very neat on a blue sky

Hey man, I'm happy as this prove my feeling wasn't wrong ! I have no shots left from 1.0 but I remember being more amazed on the early days than now. Now, with all stuff I have ( SMP, Maxx FX, Fly with LUA, Real Terra Haze ), everything seems to override the others, so I decided to uninstall everything a,d just install MAXX products which I'm a huge fan of. And yeah, with latest 1.3 release, maybe performances have increased but quality too .. First clouds were almost Cristal clear, when I saw your firsts shots I thought it was some FSX screens ! Please John, please make a compromise for future update, and bring back the possibilty to recover those might clouds... PS : I also noticed that adding two layers of same clouds type, one above another, makes them generate at the exact same place ( I mean, when looked from above, both layers are perfectly superposing .... )

I think this post made me fall in love with Ben's way of seeing things, I'm just like that too ! " Pas de chichis, droit au but ! "

Thanks Carlos !

No, I meant about the B-17 and dead reckoning ?

Where is this S58 from ?

Did that helped you Vinnyl ?

It's how in real aviation the sky is defined regarding clouds coverage. The sky is virtually divided in octas ( 8 parts ), where 0/8 means clear blue sky, and 8/8 Overcast ( no scattered clouds, but a thick layer ( grey weather ) ) SKC - Sky ClearFEW >1-2 octasSCT ( Scattered ) 3-4 octasBKN ( Broken ) 5-7 octasOVC ( Overcast ) 8 octas

Just out of the box screenies, a wonderful machine, it's been a while I haven't bought such an exciting addon ( I'm a helo guy yeah ... )

Can't believe my eyes, seems my times in X-Plane will be nice again ! http://www.alabeo.com/index.php?accion=product&correl=101

But what are your problems all you guys ? I just disliked his screen, added nothing more OK ?! It's him who politely asked why I disliked it and I explained, so no need to rush to say I'm wrong or so, because I said it is MY OWN POINT, I force no one to think like I do So if you don't agree, just move on Everyone feels obligated to comment and defend Carlos's opinion. But you don't need to, because : 1. I never attacked him 2. He replied in a very clever and neutral way Each one is own opinion, and you have to respect it, that's all I know I'll get a bunch of " dislikes " and " disagree ", cause of this stupid new mode of posts ratings, but I don't care, it's " La liberté d'expression " as we say, so have fun dudes

No problem, I'm not especially " offended ", but just in respect of the families who are still waiting for any solid elements in this tragedy, I think they wouldn't be happy to see some MA 777 simulator screens popping all around the web for " a commemorative fly ", especially when we have no idea of what actually happened But I love all your other screens tho

This is a sensitive subject No need to choose a Malaysian Airlines livery for you 777 screenshot if you see what I mean. I just disagree but it's only my own point of view

Sorry can't say more about this, you should maybe take a look at specialized WWII aircrafts ( especially B-17 forums ), where everyone knows everything about anything related to the operation of these birds. Just to add : following a heading will in most case never get to the destination : that's why the B-17 has a nice instrument, the drift meter to evaluate accurately wind drift. Basically, it was a binocular aimed to the ground, with lines perfectly parallel to the fuselage, and others ( which you could rotate via a knob ) that you must align with the ground trajectory. That gave you a precise reading of the actual wind drift. Sometimes, at FL 350, it's common to have 50-60 kt winds ... Finally, just for you, I found this, read carefully : THE NAVIGATOR The navigator's job is to direct your flight from departure to destination and return. He must know the exact position of the airplane at all times. Navigation is the art of determining geographic positions by means of (a) pilotage, ( dead reckoning, © radio, or (d) celestial navigation, or any combination of these 4 methods. By any one or combination of methods the navigator determines the position of the airplane in relation to the earth. Pilotage Pilotage is the method of determining the airplane's position by visual reference to the ground. The importance of accurate pilotage cannot over-emphasized. In combat navigation, all bombing targets are approached by pilotage, and in many theaters the route is maintained by pilotage. This requires not merely the vicinity type, but pin-point pilotage. The exact position of the airplane must be known not within 5 miles but within ¼ of a mile. The navigator does this by constant reference to groundspeeds and ETA's established for points ahead, the ground, and to his maps and charts. During the mission, so long as he can maintain visual contact with the ground, the navigator can establish these pin-point positions so that the exact track of the airplane will be known when the mission is completed. Dead Reckoning Dead reckoning is the basis of all other types of navigation. For instance, if the navigator is doing pilotage and computes ETA's for points ahead, he is using dead reckoning. Dead reckoning determines the position of the airplane at any given time by keeping an account of the track and distance flown over the earth's surface from the point of departure or last known position. Dead reckoning can be subdivided into two classes: Dead reckoning as a result of a series of known positions obtained by some other means of navigation. For example, you, as pilot, start on a mission from London to Berlin at 25,000 feet. For the first hour your navigator keeps track by pilotage; at the same time recording the heading and airspeed which you are holding. According to plan, at the end of the first hour the airplane goes above the clouds, thus losing contact with the ground. By means of dead reckoning from his last pilotage point, the navigator is able to tell the position of the aircraft at any time. The first hour's travel has given him the wind prevalent at altitude, and the track and groundspeed being made. By computing track and distance from the last pilotage point, he can always tell the position of the airplane. When your airplane comes out of the clouds near Berlin, the navigator will have a very close approximation of his exact position, and will be able to pick up pilotage points quickly. Dead reckoning as a result of visual references other than pilotage. When flying over water, desert, or barren land, where no reliable pilotage points are available, accurate DR navigation still can be performed. By means of the drift meter the navigator is able to determine drift, the angle between the heading of the airplane and its track over the ground. The true heading of the airplane is obtained by application of compass error to the compass reading. The true heading plus or minus the drift (as read on the drift meter) gives the track of the airplane. At a constant airspeed, drift on 2 or more headings will give the navigator information necessary to obtain the wind by use of his computer. Groundspeed is computed easily once the wind, heading, and airspeed are known. So, by constant recording of true heading, true airspeed, drift, and groundspeed, the navigator is able to determine accurately the position of the airplane at any given time. For greatest accuracy, the pilot must maintain constant courses and airspeeds. If course or airspeed is changed, notify the navigator so he can record these changes. Radio Radio navigation makes use of various radio aids to determine position. The development of many new radio devices has increased the use of radio in combat zones. However, the ease with which radio aids can be jammed, or bent, limits the use of radio to that of a check on DR and pilotage. The navigator, in conjunction with the radio man, is responsible for all radio procedures, approaches, etc., that are in effect in the theater. Celestial Celestial navigation is the science of determining position by reference to 2 or more celestial bodies. The navigator uses a sextant, accurate time, and many tables to obtain what he calls a line of position. Actually this line is part of a circle on which the altitude of the particular body is constant for that instant of time. An intersection of 2 or more of these lines gives the navigator a fix. These fixes can be relied on as being accurate within approximately 10 miles. One reason for inaccuracy is the instability of the airplane as it moves through space, causing acceleration of the sextant bubble (a level denoting the horizontal). Because of this acceleration, the navigator takes observations over a period of time so that the acceleration error will cancel out to some extent. If the navigator tells the pilot when he wishes to take an observation, extremely careful flying on the part of the pilot during the few minutes it takes to make the observation will result in much greater accuracy. Generally speaking, the only celestial navigation used by a combat crew is during the delivering flight to the theater. But in all cases celestial navigation is used as a check on dead reckoning and pilotage except where celestial is the only method available, such as on long over-water flights, etc. Instrument Calibration Instrument calibration is an important duty of the navigator. All navigation depends directly on the accuracy of his instruments. Correct calibration requires close cooperation and extremely careful flying by the pilot. Instruments to be calibrated include the altimeter, all compasses, airspeed indicators, alignment of the astrocompass, astrograph, and drift meter, and check on the navigator's sextant and watch. Pilot-Navigator Preflight Planning Pilot and navigator must study flight plan of the route to be flown and select alternate air fields. Study the weather with the navigator. Know what weather you are likely to encounter. Decide what action is to be taken. Know the weather conditions at the alternate airfields. Inform your navigator at what airspeed and altitude you wish to fly so that he can prepare his flight plan. Learn what type of navigation the navigator intends to use: pilotage, dead reckoning, radio, celestial, or a combination of all methods. Determine check points; plan to make radio fixes. Work out an effective communication method with your navigator to be used in flight. Synchronize your watch with your navigator's.Pilot-Navigator in Flight Constant course - For accurate navigation, the pilot -- you -- must fly a constant course. The navigator has many computations and entries to make in his log. Constantly changing course makes his job more difficult. A good navigator is supposed to be able to follow the pilot, but he cannot be taking compass readings all the time. Constant airspeed must be held as nearly as possible. This is as important to the navigator as is a constant course in determining position. Precision flying by the pilot greatly affects the accuracy of the navigator's instrument readings, particularly celestial readings. A slight error in celestial reading can cause considerable error in determining positions. You can help the navigator by providing as steady a platform as possible from which he can take readings. The navigator should notify you when he intends to take readings so that the airplane can be leveled off and flown as smoothly as possible, preferably by using the automatic pilot. Do not allow your navigator to be disturbed while he is taking celestial readings. Notify the navigator of any change in flight, such as change in altitude, course, or airspeed. If change in flight plan is to be made, consult the navigator. Talk over the proposed change so that he can plan the flight and advise you about it. If there is doubt about the position of the airplane, pilot and navigator should get together, refer to the navigator's flight log, talk the problem over and decide together the best course of action to take. Check your compasses at intervals with those of the navigator, noting any deviation. Require your navigator to give position reports at intervals. You are ultimately responsible for getting the airplane to its destination. Therefore, it is your duty to know your position at all times. Encourage your navigator to use as many navigation methods as possible as a means of double-checking.Post-flight Critique After every flight get together with the navigator and discuss the flight and compare notes. Go over the navigator's log. If there have been serious navigational errors, discuss them with the navigator and determine their cause. If the navigator has been at fault, caution him that it is his job to see that the same mistake does not occur again. If the error has been caused by faulty instruments, see that they are corrected before another navigation mission is attempted. If your flying has contributed to inaccuracy in navigation, try to fly a better course next time. Miscellaneous Duties The navigator's primary duty is navigating your airplane with a high degree of accuracy. But as a member of the team, he must also have a general knowledge of the entire operation of the airplane. He has a .50-cal. machine gun at his station, and he must be able to use it skillfully and to service it in emergencies. He must be familiar with the oxygen system, know how to operate the turrets, radio equipment, and fuel transfer system. He must know the location of all fuses and spare fuses, lights and spare lights, affecting navigation. He must be familiar with emergency procedures, such as the manual operation of landing gear, bomb bay doors, and flaps, and the proper procedures for crash landings, ditching, bailout, etc. ORIGINAL SOURCE : http://www.stelzriede.com/ms/html/mshwpmn1.htm#nav

Actually, they didn't really radio-navigate the way we did with NDB etc.. The navigator, just behind the bombardier station, used Sextans and such tools to locate according to the stars ( that was the purpose of the bubble dome canopy, just in front of pilots windshield ) The navigation was kinda classical, with visual reference on the ground based on reconnaissance shots some reco planes has taken before the mission. They had precise waypoints to follow, and people who had to be aware of the nav followed a special briefing prior departure ( pilot, copilot, navigator and the bombardier )

This is simply awesome, glad X-Plane looks like this now

Maybe we shouldn't go that far ... Or Mulder and Scully will inform us in some days that the truth is out there, and they eventually had been abducted ... I remember AF447, people also started to make unbelievable theories and we were all sad to learn the truth ..

Wow I didn't know it was released already great ! If I fly more often on X-Plane I'll take it

This would be a great news I think, assuming people would finally go home ... But only pure speculation here ;-(

We are fooling ourselves believing that, in 2014, we master everything and our technology allows us to do everything, to track everything, to know everything etc ... We're humans and there will always be ( and hopefully ! ) things that slip through our fingers without any clues why. And we shouldn't put so blind trust in technology, computers etc, the day they fail, we fail My thoughts goes to the victims and their families

No, it is automatic mixture control, so you just have to put it in auto lean position ( I dunno how this is modelled in this one, but the real one has three " latched " position : idle cut off, auto lean and auto rich for take off and climb ( and descent ... )

I can't believe it is freeware ! Testing it right now !