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VirtualGAaviator

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Posts posted by VirtualGAaviator

  1. X-plane 12

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Flight simulation can be frustrating. Frustration is one of the reasons I could never gasp the other flight simulator. Nevertheless, for good or bad, I made the choice to use XP12 as my primary sim. At one point, I could hardly complete a flight due to sim crashes. For the most part, the crashes have subsided - although yesterday it crashed during a video recording 3/5th through a flight.  It does appear that LR is accepting the auto-generated crash reports.

    For the most part, I am enjoying XP12 immensely. I miss some of the aircraft that has been promised via upgrades to XP12. I've come to accept that so far, XP12 has been a slog for LR. We all wanted it to be a sprint. I'm sticking with XP12 because I believe in the end the pains and delays will be worth it. I would rather the LR and 3rd party developers take the time to get XP12 right than to make the time to fix mistake due to rushing. You are smart, @scooke7 to remain with XP11 until XP12 matures a bit more. XP12, in its current offering, can be extremely taxing, especially in class C and class B airspace. Yes, there is work to be done in XP12, but I'm confident the work is being done. As I said, I am enjoying XP12. There's no better feeling than to simulator a flight from planning and preflight to landing and shutdown in either version.

  2. Study Level?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I purchased the Cessna Citation XL560 for XP12 for $60.00. The dev says the aircraft is "study level". Hmmm. I can say the aircraft is different. There are hidden gems that prevent the aircraft from starting until you discover them. I found this extremely frustrating. The dev says, in bold text, READ THE POH. Personally, I found the POH just as frustrating, TL;DR on steriods. What I can say about the aircraft is that I believe the dev put a lot of time and effort into the aircraft. It's actually not bad once you get past the POH and quirks. However, I think he took quite a bit of liberties (i.e. you can't remove covers unless the aircraft engines start up) in a number of areas. I plan to post a video on the aircraft soon. As for study level, hmmm... doesn't meet my definition of a study-level airplane.

    • Upvote 1

  3. X-plane 12

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    13 hours ago, mjrhealth said:

    Plenty of good aircraft for Xplane12. Freeware Zibomod is consitently being improved, the A330 is getting a freeware update. Citation X is very good.

    Than we have Airfoil KA350, Citation 560XL, first release but pretty good . FJSQ400, stll needs some optimizing, Just flight Dr400, TB10,20, C152,  Thandra have a few I believe Kodiak is in the pipe line right now, All Vskylabs are XPLANE 12 and he has a lot, X-craft will be releasing theres soon, plenty there if you look, waiting on the 737 from here

     

    Agreed. I think our virtual hangers look alike. I have the same aircraft except for the FJS Q400 and the TB10 & 20.  I can fly everyone of them OK but none of them well. My sim friends keep saying I should focus on 1 aircraft. It's people like me who devs love. I'm going to buy and fly it at least once. Sheesh! No wonder this hobby is expensive for me. Still looking forward to the IXEG 733 (new purchase) and the MU-2 Marquise (upgrade).

     

    • Like 2

  4. X-plane 12

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by VirtualGAaviator
    clarity

    3 hours ago, Rick310 said:

    One reason I will not buy xp12 is because of aircraft availability. The information I am getting from the thread sounds like developers are working very hard to get aircraft for xp12.

    Makes sense. Right now, the Maule M-7 s the only native XP12 STOL plane I own, aside from the default aircraft. I have a lot of STOL aircraft in XP11. Kudos about the devs.

    • Like 1

  5. Study Level?

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by VirtualGAaviator
    Grammar corrections

    I'm hoping to start a conversation on what is "Study Level". Depending on who you ask it seems to be a moving target.

    Technically, I suppose any aircraft that is modeled close enough to the real world counterpart to teach you something about one or more of its systems could be considered study level. One of my personal pet-peeds is when a aircraft is called study level but doesn't model the breakers. For me, pulling breakers can reveal a lot about an airplane's systems.

  6. X-plane 12

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 4/21/2023 at 4:45 PM, mjrhealth said:

    And where did you get that strange idea from??

    Admittedly, I haven't read it anywhere. Also I said, "I don't think..."  Of course, nothing is carved in stone and there are exceptions to almost every rule. For the most part, no one is developing for XP11. I think there are few devs who might provide a patch or two. I'm not saying or implying that anyone should stop enjoying XP11. It's a great sim. Me, personally, I have a bunch of aircraft that if I want to fly I have to load up 11.

  8. X-plane 12

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Personally, I was only impressed with Carenado's aircraft when I first started (back) simming with XP in 2017. Didn't take me long to figure out that most of their aircraft was light on systems modeling. However, the texture modeling is what sold me. If Carenado want to avoid XP, I say, "good rid...".

    Turns out that some of the guys from Thranda has done work for both Just Flight and Carenado.

  12. Note to Devs - Communicate if you plan to charge for upgrades to XP12

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I've purchased a ton of aircraft. I'm one of those guys who loves flying a variety of aircraft. However, I want good and decent aircraft if I'm paying for it. I still have a bunch of airplanes that needs upgrading to XP12. Am I willing to pay for my upgrades? The answer isn't that straightforward. Here is why.

     

    If I recently purchased an XP11 aircraft, say within the last 6 months, I absolutely expect a free upgrade and any attempts to charge for it will seem and feel like a money-grab by the developer. Likewise, any aircraft that receives only a minimal amount of tweaks (i.e. rain effects and performance tweaks) ought to be free, my opinion. Aircraft that get substantial rewrites and/or new features should come at some price to the user.

     

    I can't always discern which category an upgraded aircraft falls in. Here is an anecdotal example I recently encountered. I have the XP11 version of the KingAir 350. The developer charged me for the upgrade to XP12, and they gave me a 40% discount off the $50 purchase price. This dev has a reputation for producing good and decent aircraft with fidelity. The marketing blurb mentioned a host of new features. Since I trust the developer, I paid without concern. I expect this developer earned the premium and that it's a win for both of us (I'll let you know if I later feel otherwise). I have been watching IXEG redevelop the Boeing 737 for XP12. At this point, I think they deserve every dollar being charged, and yes, they are changing for the upgrade - but that debate is beyond this post. I want to give them my money because they've kept me in the loop. I have some idea of how much additional work they have put into the upgrade. I have not followed the redevelopment of the King Air. I was reluctant to pay the upgrade fee. Then I thought: if they've spent half as much time and energy as IXEG they've earned my money. The point is, it is important to communicate with customers to justify charging again for the same aircraft. It is especially true if you don't have a reputation for high-fidelity aircraft.

     

    • Upvote 1

  13. Let's talk about flying airplanes?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    22 hours ago, Rick310 said:

    Think about this. 3 to 4 hour flights in a Piper Arrow 3? In real life you have to have a Urinary Catheter and bag for you and all your passengers. God help you if you have to take a crap. I would have to land at the nearest airport for a bathroom break. Lucky for me, this is the virtual world and everyone can hold it for 3 to 4 hours and no bathroom breaks, Zero!

    Hey Rick, you are showing your age, man. At my 60 years plus, I understand exactly where you're coming from. But a 20 or 30 something would have no problems, barring a medical condition, holding for 4 plus hours :angry:.  Also a lot of folks my age have trained themselves to hold.  As for me, some days are better than others. Some days, I can hold 6 or 7 hours - those days are fewer and fewer. Other days, seems like I'm going every 20 minutes or so. As for the 2nd number, when nature calls, it calls.

    Let's hope this thread doesn't turn to a sh*tty conversation :lol:.

    Moving to another thought, I've been poking around airliners. I'd vowed never to fly either airliners or military aircraft.  Finally been going through the ZIBO 737 checklist and the MSFS FBW A320 checklist. Some of my Discord friends swear by the A320 so I thought I'd give it a try. While the A320 is much easier to learn than the ZIBO I'm not impressed with either. There's a whole lot of flows and procedural stuff to learn but basically you're programming, monitoring and tweaking a computer to fly. You can hand fly, if you're good enough. Some flight phases can get extremely hectic so the procedures need to be memorized. Maybe, I'll get bitten by the airliner bug if I keep at it.  Anyhoo, I'm learning the ZIBO 'cause I want to fly IXEG's 737 after it drops for XP12.

    A good pilot is always learning, right?

    • Like 1

  14. Let's talk about flying airplanes?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 3/29/2023 at 3:30 PM, daemotron said:

    There are still a couple of issues Laminar has to solve (and yes, they're aware and working on it).

    I figured there must be an issue with the SDK that is holding things up regarding aircraft for XP12. Too few devs have released updates yet.

    The PC-12 is the only FSEconomy plane I own. That reminds me. I need to check on it to make sure it's rentable. I'd love to see a PC-12NG or NGX for XP12. I suspect the hold up (even in XP11) has been the Honeywell Apex Primus Suite of avionics. Modeling it is surely going to be a beast. Just about everyone who flies GA loves the PC-12 so I'd venture to say it ought to be a profitable endeavor for who ever tackles it and get it right. I love the CL650 too and am salivating for the MU-2 by TOGA.

    I've been holding off on buying any scenery or utilities for XP12. I want to see what LR releases next. It's been a while since the last release so I hope whatever they release is more than incremental. I did spring for the Citation 560XL by AirSim3D. The jury is still out on that aircraft. Actually, it's not a bad aircraft. It's just wayyy overpriced, IMO. I have yet to make a full flight in the aircraft because the developer's POH is terrible, again my opinion. Given that he says this is his first aircraft, I'm sure he'll eventually become a top-notch XP developer. 

    I guess I have time to make a short flight, tonight. C'ya.

    • Like 2

  15. Full tutorial?

    in Technical Support

    Posted

    21 hours ago, wain said:

    Just wondering what kind of tutorial/instructions it comes with for someone coming from airlines?

    If I can learn to fly this aircraft anyone can. I know that sounds glib but it's true. Before I purchased the CL650 the only jets I'd flown were the Phenom 300 and the Citation Mustang. Heck, I couldn't even program the FMS. I considered myself strictly a low & slow GA sim pilot. But I had to have the CL650. Since I've gotten it, I'm am now comfortable with the Collins FMS, and can start the aircraft C&D. I've cut the amount of time it takes me to get going from 2 hours to about 40 minutes, and that includes going through all the pre-start checks. I enjoy full flights in the aircraft. The Reflected Reality and Foxtrot Alpha videos (mentioned in the linked threads above) were all I needed to get me started. Foxtrol Alpha has taken me deep in to the world of a Challenger pilot.

    This aircraft is my #1 favorite to fly.

     

    • Like 1

  16. Let's talk about flying airplanes?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Rick310 said:

    VirtualGAaviator, I see you use youtube. Have you tried rumble? Rumble has no censorship.

    I'd not heard of Rumble. I did, however, create an account. I can see not harm in adding my videos to the platform along with YouTube. I have not had an issue with censorship on YT, though - except for the occasional copyright violation.

    At the risk of going off-topic, a lot is happening with the internet at the moment. I've been poking around in some of the AI generation tools, like ChatGPT and Dall-e. I'm impressed. I write newsletter content for my EAA chapter and the AI tools will certainly save me some time.

    Anyhoo, one of those Mooney collections won't be upgraded to XP12.  I believe it is the M20 collection, which I own. However, I seem to recall that a newer XP12 collection is in the works. So unless you plan to fly XP11 for years to come, I'd suggest waiting a bit. I gotta run, but if I can located the blurb I'll post it for you.

  18. Let's talk about flying airplanes?

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by VirtualGAaviator
    Clarity

    • Speaking for bush flights, I've brought down 2 Beavers attempting to fly from Norway House Airport (CYNE) to Pas Airport (CYQD). My failure to do proper fuel calculations led to a ditching (the first time I was forced to make a water landing). I underestimated the headwinds I would encounter en route. The 2nd time, I was brought down by a bird strike. My virtual insurance company is not happy.

     

    • Like 1

  19. Let's talk about flying airplanes?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    6 hours ago, Rick310 said:

    My wish for x-plane is someone comes up with an addon that simulates anti iceing fluild

    I wouldn't be surprised to see anti-icing fluids modeled in XP12. However, I'm looking forward to seeing icing modeled first. XP12 already has rain effects. I hoping that will be followed by snow, ice, and the good de-icng effects. XP12 is in it's infancy.

    I flew the Donier 228 (the freeware version) a few times. I enjoyed it.  My journey into the airliners will probably emulate real-world flying. I am considering buying the Dash Q4 800. I do own a couple of airplanes the are regional carriers. I hardly fly 'em. I'm planning to acquire the classic 737 when the new version drops. I have heard a lot of new sim pilots actually start with airliners.

    Thanks for the feedback on modding, @scooke7. I am gonna keep advocating for the mods.

     

     

    • Like 1

  20. IXEG For X-Plane 12 status.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    3 hours ago, tkyler said:

    I want to thank everybody for their patience here

    Here is why I think you should take all the time you need... Empirically, there seems to have been an exodus of developers and, I think you know why. Those who have chosen to stay on the X-Plane platform are excellent developers, IMO. Most of you (devs) have decided not to rush your products to market, but to take the time to redevelop your products so that me and others can get products that's realistic and take advantage of the XP12's characteristics. With that said, you (tkyler) and a short-list of other devs are expanding the envelope of what aircraft should be capable of in the sim. This is where I believe the X-Plane community will differentiate itself from the other sims.

    Developers who actually model those little things, and allow those little things to have a cascading effect, while maintaining the realism of the aircraft, will certainly make XP's aircraft THE best available. Simply put, XP12's aircraft needs (I don't like the word 'need') to be better. The aircraft should be the best. Your aircraft, I believe, will be among the best, if not THE best. So take all the time you need.

    I didn't mean to rant, but I am passionate about the horse I picked.

    • Like 4

  21. Let's talk about flying airplanes?

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by VirtualGAaviator
    grammar

    I'm with you, man. Let's talk about flying. I, too fly almost daily. However, I only have a couple hours to get in a short flight most days. I'm one of those guys who'll attempt to fly almost any GA airplane - thus; I support a lot of developers. My favorite aircrafts before XP12 dropped were the Challenger and the MU2. Since I'm not flying XP11 any more it's now the Challenger and the default Citation X.

    The X is a blast. LR did a good job modeling that aircraft. Now it needs to really come to life through modding.  I have been wondering if one needs permission from LR to publish extensive mods to it. Unfortunately, I my skills are too limited to mod it:wacko:. I'm willing to be an advocate to the X-Plane community for modding it though :P.  Nevertheless, I expect that the MU2 will become my 2nd favorite aircraft, once it drops for 12.

    • Like 1

  22. RNAV / Visual approaches

    in Flying the Challenger

    Posted

    Sorry, I'm unable to point you to the exact video you're asking for.

    There is Rob Hammer, AKA Foxtrot Alpha. Rob is a real-world, proficient, Challenger 650 pilot who goes deep into flying the CL650. He's shown us how to fly various approaches, and continues to churn out new informative videos. He has deepened my understanding of approaches, and corporate aviation overall. I've learned more from him than from any other Youtube flight sim content provider. Highly recommend.

    https://www.youtube.com/@foxtrotalphaaviation

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