PhantomTweak

I am sure there's a reason. I can do some more research to find out why, if you so desire, or I can post the page I was using to find out about the doubles. That way you can read it for yourself. Up to you :) Anywho, I'm glad I could help a little :D BTW, there's a forum called FSDevelopers, and they are a LOT better at XML than I am. I can post their address, if you like, or you can do the google thing to find it. Again, up to you :) Have fun, and I wish you great good fortune. XML seems bass-ackwards, but it works great once you get it down. Pat☺

Did you try %((A:FUEL TOTAL QUANTITY,gallons))%!d! Notice: no space between the comma, and the gallons, also, you need DOUBLE parenthesis around the variable. Does this help at all? Pat☺

Buy Steam, usually $25.00, but frequently lower, during sales, or buy an external CD drive. I can't say for sure if you can copy the discs onto 3.5" discs or whatever, and expect them to install correctly. Good luck! Pat☺

We did what we could to "keep 'em flyin'"!!! :D Pat☺

Ummmmm... Were you aware that you can have Steam verify that all the files for FSX are the correct files, in the correct places? And that if there is a trouble with the files, or their locations, that Steam will automatically repair the situation? It's fairly easy. I can tell you how, or you can find a "How-To" for the whole File verification system on this site, or Steam. Google is your friend. :cool: Bear in mind, though, that if you run the file verification, it MAY delete, or alter, any add-ons you may have installed. Scenery, planes, effects, whatever, so make back-ups of any add-ons you have installed. Especially planes and scenery, because they both add alot of files in other places than just the ones you might think. Like planes put gauges into the ...FSX\Gauges folder. Really, especially with payware, but with freeware too, the installers are normally downloaded as zip files. So as long as you still have the zip files, and any passwords you might need for the installation, like payware require, saved off, you're in good shape. After the file verification system gets done, you can just re-install the add-ons you want. Remember to test each add-on after installation. Takes a little time, but less than messing around, trying to do the verification yourself! Let me know if you need help with this. :D Pat☺

First off, put that back to the original entry. FSX_SE, FSX-SE, whatever it was. If you don't, it will confuse FSX:SE no end. The Scenery.CFG file in there is a record of what you've added to the Scenery Library, with the ADD Entry feature. It's what the sim reads to see what addons you've added to it's basic scenery. NOT what's in the ...FSX\Scenery folder, what's in the ...FSX\Addon Scenery folder. The entries that come pre-installed, so to speak, are the default scenery's. Anything that goes into the ...FSX\Scenery folder is auto-added, so to speak, into the sim, with no actions required by the user. Apparently, UTX thinks, for whatever reason, you have the box version of FSX installed. That's why it's looking for ...FSX\Scenery.cfg. IF you once had the box version installed, and then installed FSX-SE, you will get two folders in C:\Users\Peter Bootes\Appdata\Roaming\Microsoft . FSX and FSX-SE. If all you have is C:\Users\Peter Bootes\Appdata\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX, either you only have ever had FSX-SE installed, or it still thinks you have the box version of FSX installed. Either way, with only one FSX installation, the path should be C:\Users\Peter Bootes\Appdata\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX. Did you reboot the computer after you ran CCleaner, or did you just start installing UTX? You should have rebooted the first thing after CCleaner got done. Have you tried taking the untouched Scenery.CFG file from out C:/Steam/Steamapps/ Common/FSX, and placing it into C:\Users\Peter Bootes\Appdata\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX ? That Scenery.cfg is a "clean slate", as if the the FSX program had just installed. It won't have any extraneous entries in it. Of course, make a backup of what's there already FIRST, then copy the one from inside the root FSX folder over, ensuring you overwrite whatever's in there already. Do NOT, ever ever, make any changes of any kind to the copy in the FSX root folder. Only ever make any changes to the one in C:\Users\Peter Bootes\Appdata\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX . Ensure the folder permissions Win10 has for any FSX folder are ones you can access as the Admin. Go into the folder in question, if you are al all unsure, and try creating an empty text file. If you can, then go in and try to delete it. If you can do both, you should be in good shape. I don't have Win10, so I can't give details on "How-To" for folder permissions. I do know it can be touchy about them. If you HAD FSX boxed edition installed, but uninstalled it and installed FSX:SE, you will need to run the FSX Registry Tool. It can be found HERE Even if you've never had FSX box installed, you might want to try giving that a shot. It seems to me UTX is getting confused about what you have, and where it is. The Registry Repair Tool might solve that problem. I would go through, and UNinstall every UTX thing you can find first. Use the MS Uninstall system in the computer's Control Panel, Programs and Features selection. Do that FIRST, then go through the computer, once it's totally done, and see if there any files or folders left. If there are, delete every one. Finally, always run the UTX Installer as Admin. Rclick on it, and select Run As Administrator from the drop-down menu. Ok, my brain hurts now. Let me know how you get on, K? Pat☺

NO! No, no, no! Do NOT install Steam there. ESPECIALLY in Win10. NO, do NOT do that. Are your folder settings set to show Hidden Files and Folders? I wager that's where the trouble finding the .cfg files lies. I have a Dr.'s appointment at the moment, so I have to go, but I will give a better answer when I can. In the mean time, check your folder settings. Also, are you logged in the computer as Admin? Win10 is real touchy about that. Make sure you have full Admin priveliges in all folders. Make sure you run the installer as Admin, too. Very important. I gotta go, my lovely wife is waving her cast iron frying pan at me. If you need more detailed help, let me know, and I'll get right back to it tomorrow. Pat☺

Easy: See the part highlighted in red? IGNORE it. Substitute the path where YOUR flight sim is. Like, for example: D:\temp\FSX\Simobjects.... etc. I have FSX:SE, so my pathing is : D:\steam\steamapps\common\FSX...etc You see? SI`! Does that help? Pat☺

Sounds like a lot of the entitled younger folks, out there. I've actually heard, with my own two ears, mind you, guys complaining when they get deployed. They didn't want to have to go fight, actually get in danger, they just wanted to get an education, and some experience. Then they whine and moan, and wonder what they can do to get out of their contract. I tell them that the best way out, is through. Do what you're told, when you're told, and just wait until your contract expires. How about that? Ohhhh no, no, nonono! They use real bullets, and real guns "over there". I might get hurt! Waaaahhhhh! Or: But I wanted to fly FIGHTERS, why am I stuck as the supply officer! I even told the recruiter I wanted to fly fighters! waaaahhhh!!! I didn't want to have to go through some kind of "basic training", either. Just let me be an officer so I can fly the fighters. They're where the fun's at... Nauseating, I tell ya, disgusting and nauseating! Oh well, have fun out there, if you can! Pat☺

What??? A government fib to it's people? NO! I can't believe it... Ok, /sarcasm OFF Have fun all! Pat☺

Well, it can't be their fault they got it. THEY can do nothing wrong, after all. Just ask them. And why aren't they being supplied properly?? They deserve first dibs on everything in the world. Again, just ask them. And, if you call them entitled little idiots, or disagree with them in any way, you must be a racist, xenophobic, Trump Supporting, moronic, offensive, asshole that deserves to be beat up...if they can find someone willing to come out of their safe place to do it. Thank goodness the little town I live in since I moved out of Yuma is a very quiet, peaceful, place. No more Mexican Polka at zero-dark-thirty, loose fighting dogs trying to kill my pet show rabbits, illegal aliens camping on my property, etc etc. Best of all? No more having to carry firearms on my own property. I CAN, I'm just not forced to to protect my home and family. I love it here. We are all a community, out for each other, rather than every man for himself, like Yuma is. No parties here! Pat☺

Yep. During Air Combat, you get too close to the target aircraft, you're liable to get hit by bits and pieces coming off of it, as the bullets, missiles, etc, strike it. Given the sensitivity of jet engines to FOD, it wouldn't take much to bring down the attacking aircraft, even if it didn't damage the target enough to bring the target down. Especially with the very early jet engines. It was a learning curve. IF the ME-262 pilots survived, they'd come back and tell heir compadres how close was too close. It was a fine line. Close enough the guns would be effective, but not so close the target brought them down, either instead of, or also. Of course, if the ME-262 pilot didn't survive, well, they couldn't report back. Just another pilot lost. Why? Who knew? It was war. One reason they utilized the "dive down fast from high above, and swoop down and away after a single pass through the bomber formations" tactics. Not only would it give them the element of surprize, so the bomber crews couldn't accurately shoot at them, hopefully, but also the escorting fighters couldn't attack, as, by the time they were discovered, they were long gone. Again, hopefully :) It would also ensure the least amount of opportunity for the debris coming off the bombers they shot up to FOD them out. They faced, really, 2 other problems, too. First, the fighters learned early on that the 262's were low-n-slow, and thus, couldn't maneuver to escape when they were in the landing pattern, so the fighters would hang out near the known air bases, and gun the heck out of them as they tried to land. A duck shoot, really. The other problem they faced was that Hitler, "military genius" he (claimed) was, was adamant in his demands that they be used as bombers, not fighters, and had a number of little snits about it. They would also, often, get FODed, either during taxiing, or take off, when the engine's suction was at it's highest, and the intakes closest to the ground. This was before the days of FOD walks, or even FOD awareness. Remember, a lot of airfields were still the "grass runway" types, and who knew WHAT was strewn around on the ground? Even small rocks, sticks, whatever, would be enough to destroy an engine. Still are, but now, FOD walks are a common, and rigorously enforced, ocurrance. Of course, most of the squadron officers are pilots now, so you can't blame them for wanting good quality FOD walks :D Have fun, and watch out for FOD! Pat☺

You think the entire bunch of the entitled little selfish, undisciplined, brats care for anyone/thing but themselves? They kill grandma, they just get their inheritance earlier. THAT'S what they care about. "Gimme, gimme, so I can go party with my friends. I'm healthy, so who cares if some geezer get's sick or dies, because I'm partying with my friends! Now, gimme money, since my job closed down." Meh... Pat☺

Yeah, what he ^ said! Pat☺

A LOT of them. The HC Bell 407 PE they made, which is a real nice chopper, Several Nemeth MD500's, A couple Bell 47's, AH-1's, Their Bell 206's in a large flock (lots of them :D ), UH-1's, etc. I can't list them all, my fingers don't have the endurance :p Also, almost every HUD for a helicopter they had, various misc gauges, and their sceneries, the Scar Creek stuff, the ones they made for practicing lifting and transporting sling loads, same for the Hawaii stuff, and of course their Hood River scenery, which I just love flying around in. Last, but not least by a long shot, don't forget the last, and best, version of HTR. Helicopter Total Realism, by Fred Naar. Wonderful little program, if you set up the .cfg files right. Why did they close it? I think the primary owner of the site, Jordan Moore, who's an amazing sim helicopter maker, btw, retired, and, given the "usership" of the site and forums, decided it wasn't worth his time and money any more. So, good luck! Pat

Sounds like the "spark plug(s)" that turbine engines use to fire the engine during start up. I've heard the same tick-tick-tick during startups many times. They get the air flowing, then about 20% the pilot turns the fuel on, and hit's the spark plugs. Tick-tick-tick until it catches, then it spins up to idle. Naturally, you can't hear the tick any more once the burner cans catch, as the sound from the turbine section, not to mention the compressors, overwhelm it. Also, once the pilot sees the engine start to spin up, along with the turbine temp start to climb, he releases the spark plug switch. Some planes have automatic systems, so when the pilot advances the throttle to idle during start up, it allows the fuel to flow and activates the spark plugs, then shuts the spark off once the burners catch. You can even hear it when firing up the "start cart" we used, which really was a small turbine engine, used to provide air and electrics for a plane during start up. All this is from the older planes, mind you, like the Phantom II, the Kfir, the A-4, the Harrier, etc etc. Newer planes have a built in APU, like the F/A-18. They can start themselves, and don't need the external assistance. You can still hear the tick-tick, though. I think the Nemeth '407 was just set up to tick three times before the engines catch. I know, sometimes 2, sometimes 5, but on average, three is probably a pretty realistic start sequence. Turbines can start pretty smokey, until everything is going right, and all the temps are at their proper levels, thus the smoke you see. Is this a freeware model? If so, can you give me the file name you downloaded, and from where? I can DL and try it out and see what's what, if you want. I also have a number of helicopters I grabbed from the old Hovercontrol site before it went away. Maybe one of them is the same as you have. Good luck! Pat☺

Uh-huh. And how many, in the US alone, died this year from the flu? I believe it was in the region of 40,000. Slight difference in fatality rates. I haven't even gotten a flu shot in a lot of years. THIS isn't scaring me either. What scares me are the idiots panic buying, especially things they don't need. But hey, it's their choice what they buy, I suppose. I'd already stocked up years ago, so I'm good for a few weeks, before I have to start hunting my food, toting my water, gathering leaves for..welllll, you know. The most hilarious thing I've heard about, though, is all the excessively liberal, "no-one needs a gun, the police will take care of us", types, buying up guns like mad. I guess the stores ran out of toilet paper, so they switched to guns and ammo. Scares me, though, is how well they can shoot. I would probably rather be right in front of the muzzle of someone like that. Most likely, the safest place in the area. have fun, and stay safe, all... Pat☺

Now you know why there are 2 preferred methods to bailing out, should it become necessary. 1 Pull it up into a tight arc, and at the top, pop the harness, jettison the canopy, and essentially fall out at the top of the arc. This gives you a couple advantages. first, you get a little more altitude, which is a good thing when bailing out, and second, the plane is moving much more slowly when you exit. Less wind blast on the pilot, and it pushes the fire away from you. Also, the plane will immediately begin falling away, preventing a mid-air between you and the plane. And if it explodes, you're as far away as possible from it. 2 pop the canopy, flip the plane inverted, and push on the stick. Pop your harness at the same time as you push hard on the stick, and it will throw you out of the plane right away, if you're in a hurry to get out. Try them next time you're on fire. One might work better than just jumping. Have fun! Pat☺

An F-4 Phantom II as my first choice, F/A-18C for a second choice, and either a P-51D or F-4U Corsair as my 3rd choice. If I had to choose. Thank goodness we don't. At least not with the flight sims out now. Pat☺

They're the magic, flying, cars and trucks heading to Hogwarts for the new semester? Just a thought... Pat☺

It's CTRL-SHFT-F1 to shut down, CTRL-SHFT-F4 to to allow them to start. You must hit CTRL-SHFT-F4 before performing any of the following. You can either just hit CTRL+E to start them both, one at a time automatically, OR you can set the main battery switch, right hand side panel, to ON, start the APU, and once it's green light is lit, flip the Engine Start switch, left hand side panel behind the throttle quadrant, to right, and watch the ENGINE page on a MFD. Once it spools to 20%, move the throttle lever to IDLE, or hit F4 a few times. Once it's spooled all the way to about 68% (idle), the Start switch will center it's self. Switch the Generator for the right engine ON on the right hand side panel. Do the same then for the Left Engine. After both engines are running at idle, with the generators, and main battery switches all ON, the APU will shut it's self down automatically. You start the right hand engine first because it powers the hydraulic system that feeds the brakes, so it gives you full braking, including Emergency Brake (Parking Brake), if you need them for whatever reason. Does this help at all? Pat☺

His nickname wouldn't happen to have been "Goldie", would it? That's the name of my flight instructor that taught me to fly a glider when I was 14. In Calistoga, Ca., and it had both, thermals and some fantastic ridge lift on the cliffs to the NE of the airport. Upper end of the Napa Valley. Just curious as to just how small this world really is... Pat☺

I'm glad you got it set up right! I am also glad I was a small help to your soldering skillz :D I hope you don't need them TOO much :rolleyes: Just a heads-up: You can get everything you need for a decent soldering kit from McMaster-Carr. Irons, solder, flux...everything. For scrubbing off flux residue, I use a medical alcohol dispenser, one of those small, white, square-ish bottles with the top that pushes up a shot of alcohol when you press down on it. Doctors used to use them to put alcohol on a cotton ball for scrubbing off the place to give a shot. HERE. For a brush, I use what we called "acid brushes". Silver handle about 5-6" long, bristles about 3/4"-1" long. Cut them off fairly short, like 1/4" and they are the perfect stiffness to scrub flux residue. A quick tap on the dispenser bottle, the brush is soaked, and will take off flux quickly and easily. Just throw them away when you get done. Simple! FLUX HERE. Acid brushes HERE. Many soldering iron holders, mainly a plastic base with a spiral of heavy wire to hold the iron, you've seen them, come with a small square of sponge, but like I said, simple to cut a small square to use, and quick and easy to replace. Find it HERE. I keep all my soldering gear in a small tool bag. Works great :) Thus: TOOL BAG BTW: if you're going to be soldering either wire to wire or wire to connector, like a spade terminal, always ALWAYS use what we call FIT-300 heat shrink. It has a meltable inner lining that will keep harsh, corrosive atmosphere out of you solder join, so you don't wind up with darn hard to find, intermittant problems. There are also pieces of heat shrink with a loop of solder built in, so all you need to is put in your two wires, overlapped, and heat it up with a decent heat gun. The solder melts, joining the two wires, and then the inner wall melts, protecting the join. Kind handy for doing in cars, especially under the hood, where all kinds of nasty can "get" your solder joins. OK, I shut up now... Good luck, and have fun! Pat☺

Well, first off, get rid of the soldering gun, and the solder. Silver solder has it's uses, but these aint it. A 30W iron is all you need. Otherwise, you stand a good chance of lifting a run when soldering to it. You want the lead/tin solder, resin core is fine. Another good tool to have is solder wick to remove a solder join you don't want, and a sponge. Yes, a small square of regular, kitchen use sponge. Get it moist, not wet but moist before you start. Every single time you pick up the iron for any use, wipe the tip on the sponge to get it clean, bright silver clean. Then touch the iron's tip to the solder, to "tin" it. Personally, and this is from my mini/micro comp soldering days back in the Corps, I use flux. A bit on the wire, a bit on the item the wire's going to. A decent, liquid flux. Just a little drop is all it takes. Grab the iron, wipe it on the sponge, re-tin it, touch it to the fluxed wire to tin the wire, just enough that the portion at the end is silver. Maybe 1/4" of wire is all you need to tin. The solder on the tip of the iron should just flow easily onto the wire, leaving almost none on the iron, and a short piece of the wire a nice bright silver. Wipe the iron again, tin it, set it down until you need it again. You'll use 3 times as much solder tinning the iron as anything else. The part that will be used to attach the wire to whatever you're attaching to as well. Same for the target. Just a drop of flux, a touch to tin it, leaving it a nice, bright silver is all it takes. Use a small, stiff brush and some alcohol to clean any flux residue off. Make a good physical connection of the wire to whatever you're soldering it to, then a drop of flux, clean and retin the iron, and just a quick touch onto the connection. The solder should flow easily onto the connection, leaving it a nice, bright silver, with just a small amount off solder on it. It should be a strong enough connection, once done, to stand up some pulling. If it pulls off, it's no good, and you start over, cutting the wire back to a clean area, retinning it, etc. If soldering onto a pad on a PC board, you obviously can't make a good physical connection, just push enough tinned wire through that about 1/8'' is sticking out, flux and solder it, leaving a nice, bright silver cone. Cut away any excess wire still sticking out. A connection that is a dull silver when cleaned off with alcohol is a "cold" or high-resistive solder join. This is no good and must be redone. Here's where the solder-wick comes in. Flux about 1/2" to 3/4" of the wick, put it against the bad solder, and hit it with the iron. The solder on the iron's tip will flow onto the wick, but so will the bad solder on the connection, leaving the wire free to pull off. Don't take the iron away until all the bad solder is drawn into it, using a clean, freshly fluxed section of wick until the wire comes free. Don't leave the iron on so long it lifts a pad, though. Just a quick touch should be all it takes. Don't solder the wick onto the connection :D Cut off the soldered portion of wick, clean and retin the iron, etc. The biggest mistake people make is not keeping the iron's tip clean, with a fresh drop of solder on it. Whenever you touch the iron, get into the habit of wiping it on the sponge, and retinning it right away. Whatever you're going to do with it. Even just before you unplug it for the day, clean it and retin it. When you plug it in, let it hot up, wipe it and retin. Always, always clean and retin the iron's tip. It'll pay off in good, strong, clean solder joins. Sorry, I taught this for a while... I do ramble, though. Without some schematics, it's difficult to tell just what you're trouble is. One thing, though: Make sure the switches are wired up in parallel, not series. It sounds like you wire two switches in series, that's why they are affecting one another the way they are. Good luck to you! Pat☺

Ahhhh, but just look at what a lovely 3RD world combat zone he's created! So good for vacationing in if you have a death wish. It takes a special kind of politico to do all that so quickly... :p Take care all! Pat☺