Cas141

So, Am I dreaming.?

I am looking for some advice from those who have gone to the “dark side” :) I.e. MS2020,!

For years I have flown FSX in a most satisfying way. I have a top end joystick, trackir and my screen comes from a projector. With this combination, the Virtual cockpits are almost exactly that.

Although it all runs on Windows XP, the whole setup is great. I fly offline.

I fly IFR airliners a lot, and recently a lot more VFR in the glass cockpit planes, and those flight are really satisfying, especially as it took me a while to sus out the Garmin 1000 screens.

But, of course, I keep seeing the wonderful scenery of MS 2020 in the YouTube videos, and it looks absolutely brilliant. However, I am also aware of the criticism aimed at this latest flight sim, (but I remember FSX being so attacked when it first came out)

I’m aware that my computer won’t run MS 2020. Even if I got one that did, my peripherals won’t work with it etc. What I have is too precious to mess with, but then I saw these headset VR things on YouTube, and I believe there is a possibility, and it is that I would like your comments on, particularly if you have experience of my “dreamed up “ setup

Without touching my present setup, is it possible….

To buy a gaming laptop which will run MS 2020 properly….not just about, but properly.

There is one with these specs( and maybe better)

‘.

Operating System: Windows 11 Home

Processor: Intel Core i7-12700H

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 16GB GDDR6X

Memory: 32GB DDR5 (2 x 16GB)

Storage: 2TB M.2 Solid State Drive

With this laptop I would use VR set such as HP Reverb G2 Virtual Reality Headset or similar, and a HOTAS or yoke /throttle.

Unless there is something I haven’t realised, that should be it and I could use it in different places (in the home ?)if necessary .

Actually, in the loft I have an original Saitek X52 HOTAS. Seems people are still using them in modern systems!

Sorry it’s a bit long, but what do you think,please?

Thanks. … food for thought there. Things to try.

Damn nuisance these intermittent things aren’t they?

Thanks for the reply. I know about F12: I have it mapped to Cougar and use it often😀

When this happens, it is on all aircraft.

Can you enlarge where to find the Eyepoint setting in config file, please? I have a feeling the answer may lie there.

It makes sense that if this config file value changes for some reason, then going back via Sys Restore would re set that.

Hello

Now and again I find my Eyepoint setting in VC somehow getting changed in that I find myself viewing the “dashboard” from too far back.

I know how , theoretically, to correct that using keyboard buttons, but this can’t be done , it seems, because of trackir.

When I get the problem, if I put the trackir on the “red” light, i.e. holding the view still, so that I cannot look around the cockpit, then the forward and. Backward Eyepoint adjustment works.

But as soon as I activate the trackir to look around the cockpit, I.e. the light on trackir goes Green, then that adjustment is lost and I am back with the original back seat view.

I get around this by using system restore to go back to a time when the view is how I like it. It is still the case that the adjustment cannot be made ( as described above), but at least my “original” position is where I want to be.

Now I feel I ought to be able to make an adjustment which stays where I put it, and , if I didn’t have trackir then I’m sure the adjustments would stay.

Clearly trackir is affecting this situation.

But it didn’t used to, and the puzzle is that I haven’t made and changes to the trackir settings at all.

I am running FSX ( quite well) on Windows XP. I am not connected to the internet.

Can anyone assist please

Thanks and early Happy New Year

Longbreaks post is excellent info for you. As he says, be careful that downloads you may fancy are for FSX and not for the new msfs 2020.

Glad to see you have a joystick. Can’t,imo, fly FSX without one. Best way to set it up is to go into Options and Controllers and just select a function in the keys part and click it to a button on your joystick.

Use the ”hat” of the joystick to the views so that you can look around using the hat. Then it’s best in virtual cockpit mode.

Merry Xmas

I have used for years this scenery

✈️ FSX Horizon VFR PHOTOGRAPHIC SCENERY 1,2,3 England and Wales

Now it is available cheap onnE bay but I don’t know where you stand about activation of it.

Perhaps someone can advise knowingly on this.

But it is brilliant. I can see my house, my streets, golf course.Exactly as is aboutv2000 ft up.

Chase it up.

DITTO!! Merry Xmas

Merry Xmas. Just to clarify, Jorgen, did you have FSX on a HDD and then moved everything from the HDD on to a SSD, and then everything just worked, or did you have to re install some things.

If the latter, then that would be a problem for me . Does it matter what Windows you are using.?.

I don’t suppose it would, if the whole hard drive gets moved over?

Sorry for all the questions, but at the moment everything works great, don’t want to spoil it, but it would be nice if a bit faster.

Cheers

I do both. I like to fly the Maltby Comets, Tridents, and 1-11. The VCs are brilliant. With the mouse clicks all switches to fly can be simulated. The different autopilots make it very interesting and are I say, lifelike?

They are the best VCs of any payware or freeware planes I have seen.

I also fly G.A. now, since I learned the intricacies of the “Glass cockpit”. I fly the Beechcraft and Mooney Bravo versions, plus the Dassault Falcon.

GPS navigation via the Garmin is great.nIt simulates reality well, I believe and all airfields and landing strips are” findable”.

The landing at airports are brilliantly simulated and using the Garmin has given me a fresh enthusiasm.

This is all on old FSX . Loving it.

Thanks for you time and effort there CRJ. You are clearly one knowledgeable guy, way beyond my understanding 😀.

As it happens, FSX does run well enough on my old setup. I’ll stick with it, but in the knowledge that if it all goes kaput then I’ll lash out on a super duper computer, new peripherals with the latest windows and msfs20.( Having come back here beforehand to find out the latest best stuff from chaps like you who are right up there with the latest info.)

Again, thanks for all your time. I appreciate it, though it is somewhat beyond me. Cheers

Interesting post CRJ.

I’m looking at computer experts idea of what would be the best computer for FSX today.And any links to their sellers.

Obviously SSDs, or it? Never heard of a NVMe(what is it?).

All the gaming machines I’ve seen boast of loads of cores, but FSX is a one core isn’t it?.

Finally, at present I run FSX on windows XP������. And it goes ok, obviously could go better, but modern puter would mess with my peripherals- trackir, Cougar hot as, etc.l

Could I have a modern computer, and clone the HD with FSX on it and the peripherals and so run it on that computer and then maybe , on another drive,run MSFS 20?

Just asking. Not vital that I do it.

TIA

Yes , time has left me well behind. I’m still on XP, but running ok…ish.

Of course we all want just that little bit more performance, but one thing I did learn re FSX was that the limiting factor was almost always the cpu. If that is limiting, then any betterment of the graphics card is not worth it.

Also, FSX uses only one core .

The point Jorgen makes re the HDD v SSD is new to me and seems to be one answer. Don’t know much about it, but am I right in thinking that a techie could put in a SSD and transfer all the HDD on to it, and everything, all peripherals, joystick etc would run off it just the same-just faster?

If it isn’t heresy😀, I have thought about MFFS 20 Ona new computer, but my old joysticks, trickier etc wouldn’t work on it.

Scenery’s fine, but FSX is excellent.

Hope you get your extra performance ok.

Cheers

Having (sufficiently) mastered the Garmin 1000 in the Cessna, Beechcraft and Mooney Bravo planes in FSX, does anyone know if there are any others with VC cockpits so equipped, available as freeware to be downloaded, please.

Cheers

I'm glad I'm an "Old School RW Pilot" satisfied using the old way of doing ILS with a good ole Vor1 head with glide scope. This post of yours had me intrigued to where I looked at the G1000 way of doing it, and I must admit, I don't think I'm smart enough anymore to figure this one out! I will continue the old way of doing it and leave the new technology to others! I wish you well!

 

 

OOPS, looks like you finally figured it out! Good Going! Keep doing it over and over until, it's etched in your mind!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rick :cool:

Thanks Rick, for the good wishes. Yes, I am doing it over and over ( the Mrs ain't too pleased at the concentrated sessions of flying, but I tell her I gotta get it ingrained ������)

Have you had a go at the Garmin 1000. ? Looks daunting but now I''ve got it figured out, it really isn't too hard to learn .

I found it not too easy to learn because a lot of the instructions from people, especially bathe videos on YouTube tend to assume that the learner knows things, and really they don't go "step by step" enough.

What is great though is a forum like this where chaps will so readily help us. I couldn't have done it without them.

I really appreciate it.

Thank you to everyone for your assistance here. It seems I have cracked it!

The key was the 300ft per mile info. And the info re. "The green diamond"

I have now done several successful landings using the Garmin.

Many thanks again.

that is approximately 1500 ft AGL; you have to add airport area elevation to 1500 ft to get that fix crossing height (approximate for a 3 deg glideslope)

Aha, thanks for that

if you were stood at the runway end looking towards the landing aircraft, and you could see the glideslope signal,

you would see it rises 300 ft for every NM (Nautical Mile).

 

Your last fix is 5Nm from the runway.

At 5 Nm the glideslope is at a height of 5 × 300 = 1500 ft

 

 

 

You said you were around 2300 ft at 5 Nm. And then you waited for lineup before engaging Approach.

 

So when pressin 'App' you were closer then 5Nm, at 2300.

You were above the glideslope when engaging Approach.

Thank you very much for this . Yes, no wonder I didn't get the glideslope. In all my reading about approaches etc, it is the first time I have come across that (simple,but vital) information.

So, when I know that distance ofvthe fix from the runway, I can determine the height. Great.

And thanks again.

Hello Tim, yes I saw that re the green diamond. I have yet to try another approach to see if I get the green diamond. But I wonder if you get that "if and when" the APP button works, or, hopefully, when you get on the Localiser.

My problem is that I can get on the Localiser, but don't seem to capture the glideslope.

We shall see!

Thanks for the assistance

Here's an ILS tutorial on the FSX G1000:

 

http://easy-fsx.blogspot.com/2010/05/performing-ils-approach.html

Thank you. I think the crux of the problem is like a Mr Zippy says--I'm not at the right height to pick up the glideslope. I pick up the Localiser, and in non- Garmin planes when doing these approaches I don't have a problem if I have the right height( or just below)

Flying ILS under ATC instructions is fine , they tell you what height to be when picking up the Localiser.

The more I think about it, the more I suspect there is something in the Garmin G1000 I'm not implementing to give me the height. It's so sophisticated, you'd expect it to give you the height to be at the fix it's sending you to.

Thanks again

Some good reading about approaches using the Garmin G1000.

 

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2011/february/01/technique-quick-tips-for-the-g1000#:~:text=The%20G1000%20will%20alert%20you,like%20indicator%20on%20the%20PFD.

Thanks for the link

Here is one paragraph from it. But it isn't what I see . The crossing altitude isn't shown - well, ifvitbis I can't see it😀

Need a regular user of the G1000 with the default FSX planes, methinks.

"Determine crossing altitudes during an approach. Once you load an approach, the flight plan page on the MFD automatically shows the crossing altitude for each waypoint. No fumbling with the terminal approach procedure chart. To set your flightplan display to Wide, and reveal the Crossing Altitudes box, do this: on the MFD, push the FPL hard key on the right; at the bottom, push the soft key marked Display; now push the soft key marked Wide."

Larry, first, thanks for your response and you willingness to assist.

Mostly, though, an apology: I didn't mean VOR ( damn predictive text) at all.

I was referring to the flight plan type , which was a VFR, visual flight rules as opposed to an Instrument flight rules type.

Ok, I did two flights but I'll describe the second, as in the second one, the fix just before the Runway has the same name in the Garmin as in the Skyvector chart.

I flew the default Mooney Bravo FSX aircraft, with Garmin G1000 fitted in cockpit.

I did a FSX flight plan , VFR, from KUCA to KBUF.

When about 20 miles away, flying in GPS , straight to KBUF, I am in what you call GPS mode as opposed to Nav. There is a GPS /NAV button on the ordinary Moony Bravo cockpit, but not in this G1000 cockpit version of the Mooney Bravo.

In this latter version, you change from one to the other using the CDI button ,which is in a row of buttons along the bottom of the left panel of the G1000.

Your query of this leads me to think you are not familiar with this version of the cockpit, the Garmin version. I understand it is not available in all FSX versions. Is that so, that you do not use the Garmin? You see, if it is , I doubt you can help me to " navigate " this Garmin G1000, which is where my limited understanding of it is probably causing my problem.

However, back to the flight. About 20 miles away from Buffalo, using ATC , I ask for a

Full stop landing. I am then told how to approach( left base etc, whatever, ) and which runway to land on

I look up the ILS frequency for that runway and enter it into the Garmin.

I am still, according to the Garmin, heading direct to kbuf.

On the Garmin, I press the Proc button.

I am asked ,do I want to select Approach. ?Press enter.

Press Proc and enter again and I get the list of runways

I select ILS 05 ,press enter ,and then get invited to select a fix. Or select "vectors"

I select vectors.

( next time ,I will experiment and select a fix, "plazz ")

I am invited to load that by pressing enter

It then shows that my approach is plazz, 5 miles away

And then RW05 , another 5 miles away.

I press Proc and then options flash inviting me to press enter to activate 1. vectors-to-final, or activate. 2 Approach.

The Garmin then sends me direct to plazz, telling me how far it is to get there.

I have no info on the Garmin as to what height I should be when I get there.

I feel there is some way to get that info from the Garmin , but I don't know how.

Skyvector tells me 2300.

So I get there at that height.

As I get there, the plane turns to head, at an angle to the runway, to that fix.

It is then that I use the CDI button ( you would hit the GPS/Nav button to select Nav)

I select Navby hitting the CDI button and that starts to turn me to line up with runway.

When lined up I hit the Apr button on the autopilot panel, thinking I should follow the glidepath. - But I don't......

Since you are overflying the runway and not picking up the glideslope, That tells me you are too high. I would suspect that the g1000 has indicators for the glideslope stating whether you are too high, too low or right on. Keep an eye on those!

Hi. Yes, I too suspect I am too high. Which is why I went to Skyvector.com for the plates to show at what height to be at each fix. Which is what I did when theGarmin gave me the same fix as the Skyvector.com

But still didn't work.

If the zgarmin has indicators I don't know what or where they are.

I suspect there is a step I'm failing to do