Back Again ;-)

[ScottishMike]

Back again, with a few more questions and observations. I am new to MSFS2020 although a long time flight simmer, most recently FS9 for 19 years.

How do you folk manage / adapt to the virtual cockpit? I find it almost always too dark and legends too small if combined with a decent forward view. I have set up various cameras invoked by the ALT 1, ALT 2 and so on. Particularly on final, are the flaps set correctly? Which view shows the flap indicator? I try and remember, then is the undercarriage down? Which view showed the three greens? By the time I get the view showing what I need I am 200' above the Rwy and often travelling at an inappropriate speed. Never mind if the mixture is still leaned for 8000' just handle the flare. :-0

i.e.:

Or with time do the cockpit camera views become second nature? (or the pilots among you might say I have not planned my approach with enough care). Often though small changes of speed are required to stay on the correct glide path, difficult to do when you can't see the throttle to tell how much input you are giving using the F3 and F2 keys. Or do most of you use the dicky seat 20' behind the rudder and the limited instruments available in that view?

I also got a surprise when searching for a camera view (ALT 4 was the correct one) but concentrating more on the screen (yep, on short final again) and pressed ALT and F4 by mistake and was zapped out of the simulator back to the desktop, not so much as a “By Your Leave” or even an “Are you sure you want to quit?” message.

Does MSFS2020 have a speed up function? In FS9 (especially when flying heavy metal on long haul) once in a steady climb go to 4x speed and when in the cruise go to 16x.

Is the last flight you do saved on exit automatically and retrieved by an equivalent of the “Previous flight” option in FS9?

Another couple of observations, those BLUE CHEVRONS! In lieu of a “Follow Me” truck. I burst out laughing the first time I encountered them ( the engineer that coded them must have been coming down from an acid trip), it makes the pink ground arrows in FS9 look understated.

Last comment (moan); are Microsoft using up the old 286 Pcs (old timers will know what I am talking about) from the basement as the servers for us simmers? The initial download took 7 hours and yesterday when I decided to download all the extra scenery it took nearly three hours. Average download speed 23 mb/s. It went from 0 mb/s (the spinning white wheel in the corner) to 47 mb/s at best. My download speed is usually around 62 mb/s.

Still MSFS2020 is only taking up 256 GB on my SSD (FS9 takes 317 GB)

 

[KiloWatt]

Lots of questions! Here are some thoughts for some of your issues:

• I find the views a bit cumbersome too, but you learn to live with it. Track IR helps a lot to simulate head movement for quick glances, but I don't have experience with one.
• As a bandaid, I use my joystick hat switch with the speed setting at 100% and the momentum setting at 0%. It provides precise and quick view panning
• An ultra-wide monitor helps a lot to expand your field of view.
• With stuff like flaps, gear, mixture, etc., I just do my best to mentally keep up with the state of my virtual plane - GUMPS is a good start. Memorising and rehearsing a few critical checklist items helps a lot. To simplify, I try to fly a single type for a prolonged period (Baron, currently) to get good at it, your learn the essentials pretty quickly.
• I've found the internet speed can improve if you use a VPN, but it can also make it worse - I've personally experienced both.

[chicagorandy]

I can't afford a full-on VR setup so I use and like my affordable GrassMonkey head tracker gear. It really adds to the sim immersion. I have a designated button on my joystick and yoke to toggle between the inside and outside cameras. In outside view my speed, flap setting, throttle, direction etc are all visible as is of course the rear of the aircraft to confirm landing gear, flaps etc.

[ScottishMike]

Thanks guys, the list of extras is growing, a joystick I kind of expected to buy, not a wide screen monitor and all the rest.

Chicago that already sounds to me like a pretty full on set of accesories, might be cheaper to fit an old cockpit from a C150 in the garage ;-)) .

KiloWatt still in Scotland or an expat?

Anyway thanks for the replies, I'll probably be back to ask advice on the accesories as I succumb to temptation and start purchasing.

Microsoft and/or Asobo hope you are listnening; please allow the external view to be put in a window and run at the same time as the cockpit view, the aircraft look so good why not watch them while flying!

[chicagorandy]

Happy shopping. Understand that my current setup is not a single purchase event. Rather it has resulted from a series of upgrades over the years as my limited budget has allowed. 

[KiloWatt]

16 hours ago, ScottishMike said:

Thanks guys, the list of extras is growing, a joystick I kind of expected to buy, not a wide screen monitor and all the rest.

Chicago that already sounds to me like a pretty full on set of accesories, might be cheaper to fit an old cockpit from a C150 in the garage ;-)) .

KiloWatt still in Scotland or an expat?

Anyway thanks for the replies, I'll probably be back to ask advice on the accesories as I succumb to temptation and start purchasing.

Microsoft and/or Asobo hope you are listnening; please allow the external view to be put in a window and run at the same time as the cockpit view, the aircraft look so good why not watch them while flying!

 

The joystick is a necessity. But the rest are optional to make life easier and more immersive.

 

Ha, nice catch. I'm a South African expat that made a life in New Scotland (Nova Scotia). The provincial flag is colour inverterted from the "Old" Scotland.