VirtualAviator

To be honest, @daemotron, I wasn't around during the transition from XP9 to XP10. I popped in right at XP11.1 (I still remember clouds "scissoring" by as I flew through them). I did read somewhere that the transition from XP10 to XP11 was more straightforward. Thank you for letting me (us) know that it was traditionally just as messy. That gives me more confident in the product. I find myself wondering if LR devs are working 8-12 hours per day, like madmen on a mission, on XP12 or, if each dev is causally working on their respective parts a few hours per week. I guess I'll never know, but I'd like to assume the former.

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.

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).

Just out of curiosity, would you say that the changes to the XP12 code and SDK is settling down, and stabilizing or are you still seeing wild swings that may break something you've spent days or weeks on?

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.

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.

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

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.

Start flying.py View File Start flying.py is a simple program launcher that is somewhat more powerful than creating a batch file. If you launch other addons to run with your flight simulator this utility is for you. Set it up once and then you'll launch your Flight Simulator and addons with a single click. Submitter VirtualGAaviator Submitted 05/30/2023 Category Plugins and Utilities  

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.

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.

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.

Agreed. Back in 2016-18 I flew basically two airplanes exclusively: the C172 and the Piper Arrow III/IV. I have a bunch of video on my YT channel in the Piper. At the time, I was trying to stick to aircraft I might actually fly IRL. Once I decided I am not going to finish pursuing my PPL, I decided I would fly whatever suits my fancy. Then I fell in love with the PC-12. Since the Citation X and the Challenger I've been transitioning to biz jets, which has segue to airliners. However, I always return to my pistons and turbo props for the love of those planes. Same here @Blueb. I tend to let my curiosity get in front of my wallet. I'll buy a GA airplane, usually around $25US, fly it a few times and move on. Those I mark as a favorite, I'll return to for more flights. BTW: I flew the PC-12 from the Congo to RDU (Raleigh-Durham International) similar to the way @Rick310 is flying through AK. 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.

Wow! I'm lucky if I can't 15 hours in any one aircraft. The high today is about 80 in my neck of the woods. However, I think I'll do some PE flying in the ZLA today. Here's a first world problem - Can't decide what to fly.

This is more of a "Wish List" item - Redevelop or continue development on the GTN 650/750. Development and forum support appears to have stopped.

Interesting... Today, I'm semi-retired, not receiving any governmental money, however. I run 3 businesses, all really small. My main source of income has been a home repair business - (I turn down more jobs than I take). I also take jobs as a professional photographer, and finally I run a website hosting company. Anyway, when you said you wanted to sue developers, I thought you were talking about flight sim developers. Now I think you are referring to real estate developers. Am I right?

How about a video of your regular work? I've found that watching the sorcery that goes on behind the scenes is somewhat interesting, if you tend to talk out loud about what you're doing. I've spent some time watching Totoritko code/test his stuff even though I have no idea what he's doing. Go figure, right?

Ditto. Plus, I have a ton of $$$ invested in both XP11 & now, XP12. Whoa! That's a lot. Hobbies can be really expensive, though. Still cheaper that real-world GA flying, IMO. And yes, I spend a ton for internet too. $1080 per year to be exact, barring any equipment purchases. You know, there are a couple things I wish people would keep in mind, the resources behind each sim. Years ago, I opened a retail store to sell computers and all the trappings that go with them. I was able to pay my bills and take a vacation, occasionally. Then, along come CompUSA and my business plummeted (I had to pivot to cell phones - Cricket and Boost). A few years later CompUSA went out of business. Point is, I know how hard it is to compete with entities that has deeper pockets. LR will be OK, no doubt, but imagine where XP would be if they had 1/4 of MSFS's resources. To be fair, they did get a little complacent after XP11 stabilized, IMO.

Maybe I should be posting this in the Rants forum, and I don't want to start another debate/argument about X-Plane versus MSFS. I sim with 3 other guys who enjoy the multiplayer environment of MSFS. I tend to watch their Discord streams and fly the same routes in X-Plane 12. I get to share my streams too. They have gotten pass the "which is better" debate and have developed respect for XP12 (I'd like to think that's because of me ). Nevertheless, these guys spend, IMO, as much time trouble shooting issues with addons as they do flying. OK - I admit I'm exaggerating but the point is they have a lot of issues... particularly when MS forces and update on the sim. I've seen a couple of times when at least one of them couldn't fly b/c MS's server was spassing. I've tried to like MSFS. Really I have. Maybe I'm just an old dog who can't be taught a new trick. The first issue I encounter when in that sim is views. Using my hat switch to control my views had become ingrained. With the other sim, I seem to have to use my mouse by right-clicking and holding, ahhh. The few views I've set-up with the hat switch seem limited. Then there's configuring my peripherals for aircraft - not intuitive at all. Also, If I accidentally spawn in on a runway, I have back half way out of the sim and restart the flight from scratch. As for immersion - yes, the graphics are amazing - but in the distance I can see them populating and that's distracting. The aircraft has come a long way in terms of fidelity, but landing them is too easy. I don't think landings are even close to realistic. On the other hand, there are some things, aside from the graphics, that I really like. I like that the other sim has more support for the Garmin avionics systems. It has the G3000 and G5000. I like that the Working Title Group has worked independently to add more capability to the G430, G530 and that the G1000 is upgraded to the NXI variant. Additionally, I like that the 3rd party GTN750s (there are 2 of them: a freeware version and a payware version), offers more capability than the $50 Reality XP GTN-750. I purchased the Reality XP GTN750 3 or 4 years ago and have not seen any new features. I believe I paid ~$80 then. I'm honestly not sure about how I feel about the multiplayer environment om MSFS. It's OK to mess around in but for realistic flights - forget about it. My friends seem to love it. I don't quite get the appeal of a bunch of folks flying airliners, as a group, from place to place. However, I do it with my friends anyway - albeit I usually fly a biz jet. Anyhoo, I appreciate both sims. I am a little frustrated at the pace of progress in XP12. I don't believe LR is sitting on their laurels and just watching Goliath take over the sim market. I gotta believe that they intend to ensure XP will more that just 'be there', that they will fight tooth and nail to retain their position as the most realistic flight sim.

whaaa? Photo avatar puts you in your 30s.

I seem to recall that one of the goals of this aircraft is to give virtual pilots an idea of what the Challenger pilots actually do. I think they did a great job from arriving at an FBO to returning to the FBO after a flight. Admittedly, I don't tend to do a proper walk-around but I do remove the covers and pins. The save state feature is awesome. It allow for quick flights, if used, giving us the ability to skip C&D starts (you'll be required to do a C&D start at least once then you can save it). For newbies, Reflected Reality Simulations and Foxtrot Alpha Aviation YouTube channels are great resources for getting started. Thanks to everyone who had a hand in bringing the CL650 to virtual life!!!

Yup! It's probably the P-Factor, just as you suspected. Here's a video where Laminar Research addresses concerns like the one you posted.

In all my years of flying X-Plane 11 and watching YT videos this is the first (known) FAA Approved simulator I've run across.

I've never flown the 733 and I rarely fly XP11 now. However, in anticipation of this airplane for XP12, I've already purchased a license for it. As much as I'm salivating to get my greasy hands on it, don't rush. You can't rush art or science, right?