PhantomTweak

Every base I was ever at, including AF, Navy, and, of course, Marine Corps, That was how it worked. Choppers landed and took off from the runway. The birds with wheels taxi'd there on the ground, and the skidded ones hover-taxi'd to it. They held short, the whole nine yards. The only time I ever saw an exception to that, sort of, was when I was on the end of the flight-line at VMFAT-401, working on top of a Kfir. The SAR bird, a Huey, was pulled out of it's hangar in a big hurry, fired up and came down the taxi-way right beside me, at a very fast pace. Nose low, the blade tips looked, looked I say, about 5 feet off the ground. I was 10 feet up on the Kfir. I thought I was a dead man, jumped down, rolled under the plane. I honestly thought I was going to loose my head if I didn't, seriously. I saw the chopper turn hard right at the cross taxi-way to the end of the main runway, and keep on from there, still accelerating, but gaining altitude. Turned out a hot-dog F/A-18 pilot pulled up off a bombing target, and turned into his wingman. He said later he thought it would look "really cool". His wingtip went through his wingman's canopy. Head too. When he landed and taxi's back to their parking, you could actually see bits in the what was left of his wingtip. He lost his wings for that stunt... BUT, that was the only time I ever saw a helicopter NOT take-off or land using the main runway. It may have been different at a dedicated helicopter base, like Tustin, but that was the way it worked when helicopters utilized any fixed-wing base I was ever at. I'll wager MAIW is accurate in that regard... Pat☺

Depends on the type. The birds with wheels land on the runway and taxi to parking, like the CH-53, or the Osprey. The birds with skids either come down to the runway and hover-taxi to parking, or just hover down to parking. So, helpful though it's not, the answer to your question is: YES. :D Pat☺

MAIW has some excellent AI helicopters, as does Hovercontrol. All freeware. You may want to give them a glance... Pat☺

Sorry, I just couldn't resist... :p :D :cool: Have fun all! Pat☺

My deepest apologies! I made a false presumption that it was FSX for some reason. I really need to check the forum at the beginning of the post before I open my mouth. Or at least my fingers :D Now that I've looked at yours, though, may I ask a question? I see a mark on the inside of the pitch trim wheel. And one on the wheel it's self. Do they move relative to each other? If they do, could it be that lining them up together somehow sets the correct pitch trim for take-off, as you desire? Or does that inner mark move a certain distance for each complete turn of the pitch trim wheel, so positioning it at some point is the correct pitch trim for take off? Or is it possible that rotating the wheel a certain number of rotations, using the two marks as a reference, is the correct trim for take-off? Since I so adroitly stuffed my foot in my mouth, I'm throwing out possibilities, is all. I do apologize again... Pat☺

Look right above the gear indicator lights. There is an indicator that says Pitch Trim. Set that, using the wheel to move the indicator mark up and down. Does that help? Pat☺

One of the biggest improvements made recently to controllers, joysticks in this case, is the switch to tunnel diodes vs the old potentiometers (rheostats). No dead zone (null zone), never gets old/dirty like pots can, thus never changes it's values nor needs cleaning, like pots can. Instant conduction on movement of the stick, and the sensitivity never changes, like pots do as they age. The curve remains constant, theoretically forever. The list of advantages is long. You still need to calibrate, so the sim's software "knows" what values the stick sends it, but other than that... Really nice to be able to set the sim to 0 (zero) null zone, max sensitivity, and just leave it there. You need to get used to controlling the stick movement more finely, but heck it's well worth the effort. I strongly recommend looking for a joystick that has tunnel diodes rather than potentiometers. Much better device to use for such applications. I was a radar tech by profession, so I am relatively familiar with how they work, but this is the easy to understand version :D Does this help? Pat☺

The "meatball" is a slang term for the (I)FLOLS lights, located just forward of the LSO platform. They give the pilot a visual indication of their vertical position on the glideslope, once they are within about a mile of the ship. That's why you hear the LSO's tell the pilot to "Call the Ball" when they roll out in the "groove", or the final, approximately 8 tenths of a mile from touchdown. "3/4 of a mile, call the ball". The pilot, if he can see the meatball, then can tell the LSO's that he does see it, what kind of plane he is, his call-sign, and how much fuel he has left on board, so the crews can verify the gear that stops the plane, when/if they catch a wire, is set correctly. Too much deceleration, and you can rip the plane apart, too little, and the plane can roll off the end of the deck. Either isn't very good for re-using the plane! All this information can be passed in a few words. "Roger ball, Hornet FS10, 30" Tells the LSOs the pilot can (or can't) see the ball, so he can position himself correctly on the glideslope, that it's an F/A-18, callsign FS10, and he has 3000 lbs of fuel aboard. Anywho, the pilot can then use the meatball to make sure he stays on the correct vertical position on the glideslope by watching a light in the center of the FLOLS, and keeping it aligned with the horizontal bar of lights on the system. Too high, the center light will be above the bar of lights, too low and it will be below them. Newer versions are stabilized for ships motion, so if the boat's fantail rises from wave action, the ball will remain steady on the "average", keeping the pilot from trying to match the ship's motion. In a Case I approach, weather CAVU, it's relatively easy to fly the ball. Now add in low ceilings, rain, fog or other visual obscurations, and it gets a lot harder very quickly. On a really bad night, the LSO's earn their money, talking the pilot onto the correct wire. Pilots may complain about LSOs, and the grades they give a pilot's landing, but in conditions where they have NO visual cues as to where the boat is, they are greatly appreciated! That's the story of the meatball. The ones in FSX aren't perfect, but they are pretty good. Hope that helps a little :) Pat☺

Now do that on a carrier! There's a real challenge. I can fully understand when pilots think to themselves during launch "I can't believe they pay me to do this!", but during recovery in conditions like that, especially at night, they think "Man, they don't pay me enough to do this!" :p :eek: And that's straight from several Marine Corps pilots I've known! :rolleyes: Have fun! Pat☺

I, personally, hardly ever use the autopilot. I figure that everything has a failure at some time or another, and if I can't fly the plane, then I could "die". Even in the sim, I'd rather avoid that. If I rely too much on the autopilot, in my mind, it WILL fail, and at the worst possible moment. Besides, an autopilot can't do aerobatics :) So, the less I use an optional system, and to me, the AP is optional, it can't fail me just when I need it most. Hydraulics will fail, the AP will fail, radios will fail, Nav systems, EVERYthing in the plane will fail. Heck, I bet my friggen flashlight would fail when I've lost all power to the lighting systems some time. Anyway, the better I can operate the aircraft and all it's goodies, the better I can react when a failure occurs. So, I hardly ever use the autopilot :D And I can do aerobatics a lot better than any autopilot ever could! Just me, though. Everyone is different. Pat☺

There are two ways to add scenery to FSX. Basically, anyway. 1) Unzip the downloaded files (most come as zip files of some sort) into a temporary folder someplace. If there are only .bgl files, you can A) copy them into the folder \FSX\Add-on Scenery\scenery or B) Make a folder, where ever you like, and place them there. The folder must appear as thus \newscenery\scenery (as an example), with the .bgl files in the \scenery folder. If there are texture files, then add another folder to the \newscenery folder thus: \newscenery\texture. If you do place them into your own, newly made folders, then you must: 2) Go into FSX, Setteings, Scenery Library. Select Add New Area, and navigate to where you put your newscenery folder. Wherever you placed it. In the \FSX\Add-On Scenery folder is fine, but anywhere else you choose is fine, like, for example D:\Temp\newscenery. Click on it, and when it goes to the next screen, showing the \scenery and \texture folders in it, rclick anywhere on the empty, blank, white area around the two folders. NOT on one of the folders or on a button down below, such as the OK button. You will be sent back to the Scenery Library screen automatically when you do. Then Ok on out, letting it rebuild it's databases on the way out. This is the usual way of adding a downloaded scenery to FSX, since they usually come with their own SceneryName\scenery and \texture folders already made for you. By the way, please tell us you didn't put your FSX into C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files(X86)? If you did, there will be other problems for you... Does this clear things up for you? Pat☺

Pardon my intrusion, Ryan, but this isn't the thread for your question. Plese post a new thread about your question in the FSX forum :) Pat☺

I believe Manfred Jahn's C-47 has, at the least, engine damage built in, and all MSFS planes will take damage from overspeed, and things like that, if you have it turned on in the main menus. Turning the Realism settings all the way up will also make things, well, more realistic :D There is also an add-on gauge that is much like Mr. Jahn's engine damage gauge. I think it only works on DC-3 aircraft, but I've been wrong before. Often. Looking through the library, it would seem if you want that gauge, though, you have to dl Mr. Jahn's C-47 v2 to get it. I can't seem to find it separately at the moment... Looking through the library, there seem to be similar gauges for most of the default planes, including the R44, C172, B58, and so on. Just do a search for "engine damage" (no quotes). You will be surprized how many big tubes have all sorts of damage modeled in too. Landing gear struts, flaps, the whole nine yards (and who remembers where that little phrase comes from?). Pat☺

There is an identical line in the FS9.cfg file, located in C:\Users\StuckInARut\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FS9 on a Vista Home Premium machine. Essentially, the same folder as FSX.cfg, but in the FS9 folder vs the FSX folder. Does that help? Pat☺

No, but hows about the Neepa Hut in Angeles City? Heck of a place, but the Hut AND Angeles :D Fantastic food at the street vendors though! Great PC's, and the girls are fantastic. Of course, the AF gals on base were very lonely and bored. I moved in with a couple gals in the AF barracks, right across the parking lot from a chow hall, and the bus that took us to work stopped there. I was in heaven. :D It was a real sad day when Pinatubo buried Clark AB, IMO :( I had a great time, never had to leave the base! Great flights to you all, wherever you go to fly :)

Wow! You're new. Welcome to the forums. As to "Programming" FS9 and FSX, did you mean changing the root software? Like, say, FSX.EXE? If so, I hope you're a darn good programmer in, I believe it is, C++. And the executable are rather large. Lotsa coding there to work through. VERY long learning curve indeed. And remember, I think they're still under copyright to Microsoft. Making scenery is actually not as hard as one might think, with the right software. I believe there is a tutorial on it around the forums someplace. Making aircraft is a horse of a different color, and I am not certain, but you may need payware to create the .mdl file, which is the basis of any aircraft. I would go to the MSFS Developers Forum, located HERE, for more detailed info on every aspect of aircraft, as well as scenery, effects, sounds, and so on, creation and development. You are talking a long, involved process, though. Aircraft take a little to make operate CORRECTLY. IE: in a realistic manner. Just creating the special instruments for that particular plane is an entire discipline in and of it's self. NOW, if you just mean how do I make the sims work/look/sound/fly better, that's is a an entirely different animal. Hamster, I believe :) Determine your particular questions, and feel free to ask them in the appropriate forum. Or, to give you a short(er) answer, I don't think there's a single book that covers everything. Especially the root executables of the sims. Those are still under copyright to Microsoft, and they aren't telling... Not real helpful, but the best I can do. Maybe someone around here can give a better answer. Not to mention any particular names :D Pat☺

Well, that helps narrow it down, some, thank you :) Have you tried uninstalling things you have added on, starting with the last thing you added, and working backward from there? That frequently will isolate the problem fairly quickly. Also, perhaps you just need to decrease the sliders a little? Scenery Complexity, 3D Cloud Density, Commercial Air Traffic, etc etc? Sometimes, that's all it takes. Have you tried putting Kosta's Tweaks into the FSX.CFG file, one at a time? There is a thread stickied at the top of the FSX forum about it. Sometimes, a simple .cfg tweak will fix these problems. Let us know how things go! Pat☺

May I ask just when, during the use of the sim, does it crash? Before the main screen? After flying along for a while? Also, have you added scenery, aircraft, effects, gauges or anything like that recently? Is it located on C: drive, in C:\Program Files (X86), by any chance? Do you rclick on the FSX.exe file and select Run As Administrator? Or do you have a shortcut to it with Run As Admin chosen in the Advanced Properties area? All this info will help to track the problem down... Pat☺

My apologies. The article I read said British, but you have better info. Or maybe because they were from a British Station, I misunderstood. Anyway... Rupert: Told ya it'd ne "interesting. Not fun, but interesting! Never a dull moment :D Pat☺

I read in the news today that a guy stationed at McMurdo Station has pancreatitis, and they need to rescue him. Only trouble is, it's the middle of winter. The Station is virtually (like how I worked the "virtual" thing in there?) inaccessable. Only 2 people in the history of Antarctic exploration have ever been rescued from there in winter. They said a pair of British Twin Otters were assigned to the rescue. I hope they save the guy! Might be a thing to try in the sim. Use a real-world weather engine to simulate what they are going to fly through, and take a Twin Otter to the rescue! I bet it's gonna be interesting, at the very least. And we all know, pilots really would rather be bored to tears than be in an "interesting" situation :) I haven't looked, but I won't swear there are any Navaids at the Station, and at this time of year, not a whole lot of daylight. Cold as heck, probably nasty weather... Sounds like a real challenge! Just a thought... Pat☺

Heck with "Advance Clearance"! Give the Secret Service a little extra thrill :eek: Pat☺

I did :) My all time favorite interaction with one of "them" was when one came to our shop to learn the system. He stalked in, mad as a wet hen he had to be there at all, walked up to the bench and started pushing buttons, flipping switches, you name it. The bench stayed silent and dark, as though it was mocking his efforts. Finally, he turned away in disgust and yelled that it was obviously broken and to get someone to fix it immediately. I was a VERY junior SGT at the time so I walked over to the bench, reached up to a power box, eye level, and easy to see, and pushed the ON button, at which point the bench lit up happily, making the usual racket with all it's cooling fans. Thankfully drowning out the L-T's imprecations. He stayed for one night and we were happy to see the back of him at last. Anyway, I mostly fly the FSDT FSXBA F/A-18C v16.1 now. It is SUCH a joy to fly. Fast or slow, high or low, around the boat, or over land, low level supersonic routes, Hi-LO-LO-HI pop-up bombing missions, aerobatics at an air show, you name it, it does them all wonderfully. I am SO in love with this bird! It keeps FSX interesting to me! That and the annual Round The World Race every year I participate in. It's tough, but some wonderful guys in it. Pat☺

All they changed, really, is some of the FSX.CFG file entries. And where, in the Steam folder structure it's hidden. It's just FSX Gold + Acceleration. Or is Accel included in Gold? I don't know. I never had FSX, just FSX-SE. I know it's FSX, SP1, SP2, and Acceleration, all together, so you don't have add things in. It's basicaly FSX Total, I guess you could call it. It does seem to run better than what I've read about on these forums, overall, less CTD's, BSOD's etc., but that's probably the FSX.CFG changes they include. Other than that, it and FSX Boxed are pretty much the same. IMO, it's well worth the $5.00 price tag it has during sales, of which there are many. If for no other reason than Boxed is hard to find, CD's get scratched, dirty, what have you. If you have them both, you have an emergency back up :D Does that answer your question Ghembree? Pat☺

Just a note: I have seen planes where the black/white circle sits up at the very front tip of the model they use and doesn't move, because of the way they put their reference points into the W&B section of hte aircraft.cfg. So be careful, that isn't an infallible reference point for CG calculations. Just so you know. Pat☺