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This is sort of a dual purpose
article, but both happen to dovetail quite nicely. And besides, if
you really are put off by a dual purpose piece, there is probably a
very erudite review over on one of the other sites... You know, the
ones that pop a gasket at the mere thought of an article that might
just make one
I've been finding, of late, the thrill has been on the decline when it comes to flight simming. I actually watched a movie the other night, rather than complete an obligatory cargo run for Air Hauler. I am certain my approval rating has tanked faster than the approval rating of the US Congress. And believe me, I've been trying all my usual tricks in an effort to "bring back the magic" so to speak. I wonder if there is a sim therapist out there.
But as I was saying, I suppose the substance of my solution to the FSBlues is valid. It is just that I didn't turn up the "juice" far enough considering the depth of my FSApathy. Sometimes, things just come together at the right time.
One of the really cool things about pecking out my neurosis and displaying it at the good grace of Nels Anderson is that on occasion, I get to play with some really neat toys. Oh yes, I also interact with a bunch of wackadoo's (you know who you are...) who are all exactly like me. I have the good fortune to have developed friendships with people all over the world with whom I correspond regularly. I cherish each and every one of you! I continue to hope that one day there will be a gathering of flight sim types at KJFK, so that I'll be able to finally place faces to names. You'll know who I am - the short fat one with glazed bloodshot eyes who for some odd reason is smiling all the time...
Digressing again. OK, back to it. Two fellas with whom I have had the pleasure of knowing are Greg Sanderson and Scott Rose. Greg you already know: jetlinesystems.com. Scott is of recent acquaintance, and like Greg, is a genuinely good guy, an avid simmer and brings something to the FS community table to enhance our experience. Scott's web site is here: http://fscontrols.com/. For any of you who loathe reading a shameless shilling of really fine flight sim products, go grab a Molson and get started on that "Honey Do" list. For the rest of you, read on ...
Greg has done it again! As you recall, Greg is the owner of Jetline Systems and produces what are, in my pharmaceutically compromised opinion, the finest gaming computers available today. Note I use the term "gaming". While Greg advertises his PC's as being produced specifically for flight simulation, I happen to know first hand that they literally chew up and spit out the most graphically demanding software being sold today. I mean, the machines do not even break a sweat with titles like "Batman: Arkham Asylum" or "Battlefield: Bad Company 2". Nary a stutter or a frame drop. Not that I would ever consider purchasing/installing these programs... (OK, The Boss just left the room. They run GREAT).
My friend Scott Rose is someone I think you'll want to get to know. His gig is similar to Greg's in that in addition to having "real world" flying experience (that still makes my palms all sweaty just thinking about it), he decided to put his skills to work in the simming world, in so doing enhancing our experiences considerably. His first release is a tres' cool throttle quadrant. This bad boy will either sit on your desk or, if you should desire, will sit atop a custom made stand. At this time the height is not adjustable and I must say that for my flight deck it is just right. Adjustable height may or may not become an option, but I suspect you can always ask Scott. Now, I know there are several outlets within the FS world offering a variety of throttle quadrants, many of which look quite convincingly as though they were wrenched out of an actual flight deck thus leaving a gaping hole, much to the chagrin of the carrier and flight crew, to say nothing of the passenger who steals a glance onto the flight deck and in so doing finds themselves looking down into said gaping hole and into the upturned, quizzical face of an airline mechanic with a tape measure (and likely to be heard muttering something akin to Whiskey Tango Foxtrot...). What I happen to like about Scott's TQ is that it is generic. Let's face it, fellas, we are all playing make-believe and are using plastic reproductions of all types of doo-dads commonly found on a variety of flight decks. I am quite happy extending my imagination to a TQ that is equally comfortable from a commercial jetliner to a regional turboprop. If you are really deep in your cups, it even works for the humble little Cessna 152 (but you'd have to be really, really deep - I'm investigating now just how deep one must be and I'll get back to you). The generic look of the unit gives it great versatility. And while my lousy pics do not do it justice (check out the Pilot Shop for really nice pics), you must know that, other than the white handles and some trim, the unit is all metal. No plastic!
There are much better pics at the Pilot Shop.
You will note from the pictures there are a half dozen two position toggle switches. They are spring loaded, and return to center. The little labels are mine, as without them I'd never remember what does what. I'm using both the magnetic labels from GoFlight, and ones I did with a label maker for flaps, spoilers etc. One thing that really floats my boat is the two switches beneath the throttles. Push up to initiate the start, and pull down to introduce fuel. I don't know why, but that just thrills me to no end! There is also something terribly cool about touching down and pulling back on the reverser handles, watching them deploy outside and seeing the "REV" light up on the panel. Small wonder I'm back in the FSSaddle again! Flaps, spoilers, landing gear and parking brake are all there, along with the throttles/reversers combo. The action of the throttles is smooth as silk, and feels better than your first .... Well, maybe not quite that good, but it is good.
I've included a shot or two of my FS kit. It is nothing spectacular, but it is a work in progress. What with finances being what they are, and The Boss being ever aware of my progress (word to the wise - build your FS kit in some far-off corner of the house, not in the friggin' bedroom like I have), the work is slow. But honestly, I am very, very pleased with my new addition. And as Scott says, his quadrants are also a work in progress. Who knows what else he will do with them? But this little puppy of mine is hand-built, one at a time. A tough-looking piece that operates as advertised, and looks great in a home built flight deck.
And what good would a cool throttle quadrant be without a PC on which to run flight simulation? Good question. As I have said, I was long a proponent of the services and products of Mr. Dell. I really liked Dell machines, and rarely had issues with them, aside from the occasional tech who spoke very little English, and understood even less. How may times, you Dell owners out there, have you been met with "Did you try to reboot?" If I had a dollar for each Dell tech whose sole contribution was 'reboot', I'd be dining with Joe Dell right about now, and giving him tips on his golf game. But, providence smiled on me yet again, and led me to Jetlinesystems.com. Hear the angelic music playing?
"PC's made by flight simmers, for flight simmers." They ain't kidding, folks. Let me introduce you to "Das Beast II". I will simply run down the specs as provided by Greg Sanderson, as much of it is gobbledygook to me. Jetline HellFire P55; Chassis: Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid-Tower ATX; Chassis Cooling: High Performance Fan Package Upgrade; Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 32-Bit; Chipset: Intel P55 SLI; Processor: Intel Core i7 860 Quad Core (o/c 3.33 GHz); CPU Cooling: Corsair H50 Hydro Series Liquid Cooling; System Memory: 4GH (2x2GB) Mushkin Blackline DDR3(CL7); Graphics Processor: 896 MB Nvidia GeForce GTX 260; System Power: 750 Watt Corsair Multi-GPU Power Supply; Primary Hard Drive: 500GB WD Black Edition 7200 RPM (OS); Secondary Hard Drive: 640GB WD Black Edition 7200 RPM (FS Dedicated - isn't that neat?); System Audio: 7.1 High Definition Integrated Audio. There is also a High Speed LAN Port and 22X DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology. Damn, that was a bitch to type!
Frankly, I have no idea what most of this stuff means, but when I tell people what I have running under the hood, those that do get all dewy-eyed and say stuff like "bitchin", or "wow, dude, that is a righteous machine". What I know is that it works all the time, gives me performance like nothing I've ever experienced, and makes Daddy a very, very happy Daddy.
Now, I know that anyone worth his salt would provide you with gobs of numbers, comparisons, frame rates and the like. Well, tough. Let us just leave it at this: for FS2004, with virtually every slider pinned all the way to the right with every frame-eating option enabled, oh, well, how shall I put it? It screams. On unlimited frame rates, I was getting nearly 200 at times, usually averaging around 180 or so. And this is with all manner of add-ons happening. Just mind-bending performance. Smooth as glass. Make you cry, wet yourself or both. I cannot make FS2004 slow down. I have it set at 25 fps, and going below 24.8 is rare.
I've tried to demonstrate the frame rates in a variety of situations.
Now for FSX. This beastie of mine was built for FSX, folks. Ask Greg, he'll tell you. I actually did ask him. Know what he said? He said, and I quote: "It's built for FSX, Chip." So, I figure I can take that to the bank. I don't have nearly as many add-ons for FSX, but the ones I do have are fairly intensive graphically speaking. Flying the PMDG J-41 (anyone good with that bird? I can't fly it to save my life) with the Aerosoft Approaching Innsbruck and Austria Professional (I still don't know if I'm supposed to be using that scenery - I'm only an amateur but I do try hard), with rates set at 25, I will dip at times into the low 20's, sometimes even the upper teens. But, here's the thing. No st-st-st-t-t-stutters. Smooth as a mountain lake at six in the morning after a windless night. Sweet. Oh yes, also running FSCaptain, FsPassengers and a couple of others in the background. I understand I could improve on those frame rates if I'd bother to shut down all the other processes that are also running in the background, but why bother? This machine does for FSX what a P3 did for FS2004. If you wish to use and see what FSX has to offer, this machine does just that. And more. I don't remember (what I was about to type, dammit)... Oh yeah - I got it. I don't remember what it is like to have to check the requirement panel on a PC game, to see if my PC will run it. While I am certain one day I will be faced with software that is beyond the capabilities of Beast II, I'm pretty certain it will be quite a while.
So there you have it. Some cool stuff that is currently doing it for me. Oh yes, one more thing. I did sorta tell you I'd include a pic or two of my FS Kit. So, here goes:
My furry co-pilot, Ozzie.
It is a work in progress. It doesn't look like much, but I really like it. Even with the damn cat. Maybe one day I'll be able to surround all that stuff with something resembling a flight deck!
Three Green!
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Chip Barber |
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