TextRich

Flightquarters, you can get FSX Steam Edition and never have to worry about obtaining a physical copy again. Anyway, I have FSX:SE, MSFS, and recently bought P3D 5.2. P3D is my favorite and best for simulating. MSFS2020 looks incredible and, until it improves, is best for GA and sightseeing. I'm keeping FSX:SE in case I want to use an old add-on not available in P3D 5.2.

The Fighterstick has been sold. Thank you!

Probably. I can never get the auto spoilers to fully active when landing most default FSX aircraft. Payware aircraft are not a problem. It doesn't seriously affect my landings but yeah that is one more thing that doesn't work quite as intended in FSX.

Greetings! I have moved on to a different flight stick and do not need my CH Products Fighterstick. It uses an USB connection and has great durability - that was the reason I purchased it! It is designed for right handed users and would work best in combat sims. CH Control Manager v4.55 is included but may not be compatible with Windows 10. The stick works very well regardless of the software. Please see my eBay listing and feel free to make me an offer for a lower price. I am selling this from Massachusetts, USA. https://www.ebay.com/itm/133665071641 Thank You, Rich

Others may have their preferences but I use REX 4 Texture Direct Enhanced Edition. https://rexsimulations.com/td.html

You can go to C:/ProgramData/Microsoft/FSX. Remove that folder to someplace safe, such as the desktop. Then re-launch FSX:SE. It will generate a new folder with the default scenery library. If you don't see ProgramData, check "Hidden Files" in Windows Explorer under View.

Yeah, been there and done that. :-/ Now when I land via autopilot I keep my left hand on the yoke and my right hand on my Saitek autopilot panel's Autothrottle lever (if my aircraft uses it). When it is time I flip it off, then press the IAS button to turn off speed hold, and finally use the button on my yoke to turn off the autopilot master. With any aircraft, default or third party, the fewer autopilot buttons that are lit up, the better!

I respectfully disagree John. The paid version of FSUIPC4 is worth every penny. The free version is great and the paid version is must-have.

Yes. The easiest way would be to use FSUIPC4. For example I have four buttons on my throttle and each one was assigned by FSUIPC to open each of the four possible aircraft exit doors.

Another tip for FSX users: check to make sure your aircraft's NAV/GPS switch is set to NAV when you are no longer following your flight plan (approaching for the ILS landing). For default aircraft it is more obvious. For add-on aircraft, it is easy to miss. For example in one of my add-on aircraft the "FMC" button is the GPS button and the "V/L" button is for NAV. Also ensure the display you are using for the localizer and glideslope has the ILS frequency selected. I don't think there is anything wrong with your airport data. You are likely missing a step to ensure the glide slope is captured. I hope others' tips help you.

I echo lnuss' statement. Exactly what runway was supposed to have an ILS? ILS runways work for me in FSX without further modifications. If it is the case of the glide slope not capturing, make sure you capture it from underneath (meaning the glide slope indicator should be higher than the center) and are slow enough for the aircraft to be able to keep the glide slope centered as it descends. Check approach plates for the runway you want to use - you may be too far away to actually capture the glide slope so check the distance you need to be to ensure the capture. I used to struggle with capturing the GS until I attempted the above tips and am able to capture it maybe 95% of the time now.

The Sky Force weather engine is poor compared to Active Sky. No matter what I did, for all three of REX's attempts at updating the weather engine, I constantly get sudden changes to weather based on METAR changes. Active Sky has an excellent interpolation system so weather changes based on time or location are gradual and not jarring. Sky Force has amazing visuals though and that continues to be REX's strength. How is it possible your computer cannot run Active Sky? It isn't any more demanding than FSX is. Have you tried installing and running it? You could always purchase it and if it does not work reinstall it in your future computer.

Just to keep my response simple, I usually recommend for FSX: -desktop PC -at least 16 GB of RAM -CPU with at least 3.5 GHz base frequency -at least 2 GB of video memory -SSD (solid state drive)

Try moving the FSX base folder someplace safe, re-installing where you intend to keep FSX, and then dragging and dropping all the folders and files from the saved folder except for the Missions folder. Of course, confirm that the Amsterdam mission works first. You shouldn't lose your preferences, settings, and logbook as they are in different folders and not installed over.

You may need to use Honeycomb's own software or something like FSUIPC 4 to be able to assign the settings correctly. It seems the throttle quadrant is not compatible with FSX:SE out of the box. Have you tried calibrating the throttle quadrant first of all?

Great tips longbreak754!

I don't have that add-on, but any folder that does not have Program Files in its name should be fine. You can always uninstall and reinstall it in a different directory if you have issues.

http://community.justflight.com You could also go to the JustFlight support and submit a ticket. Give it a day and they will respond. I actually have a ticket opened yesterday for one of their add-ons that is not functioning correctly. Even so, I seriously doubt it is a JustFlight issue. Here is an example of a Microsoft support forum thread that you may want to read through. It is a very well known but and I had it before I ever purchased anything from JF. I found some Windows 8.1 workarounds but Windows 7 and 10 eliminates the problem completely. :-) If you already have FSUIPC, see if assigning controls to it instead of FSX might help? https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-gaming/windows-81-fsx-and-joysticks-problems/b0d147e6-6690-4dc2-adb6-c7d21d4b1461

With all due respect, my experience and hundreds of others' experience I have read in years suggest not leaving the base FSX folder in any Program Files folder. Even the OP is doing that that. So rather than attempt to contradict others, I suggest you offer possible solutions that your fellow posters may have overlooked. Thank you. No, because the base sim and countless third-party add-ons need the files at those designated locations. I just remembered one guide I found useful to many simmers. Try all the steps there and see if it helps. https://www.avsim.com/files/file/41-basic-fsx-p3d-configuration-guide/ Another poster also said to try to see if you can get your CPU up to 3.5 GHz or more. That is also what I recommend to others. That seems to be the sweet spot for smoothness. Also, remember that FSX was more designed for single core fast CPUs rather than multi core CPUs with a slower processor speed. So anyone wanting to build or buy a system that works with FSX should look at high processor speed and consider additional cores only as bonuses. I have used FSX for years with a i7-4790K (over 4GHz base clock) and a GTX 970 with tons of add-ons, including FSUIPC4, and no stuttering except in heavy cloud/stormy conditions. Hopefully you find the solution that works for you soon, MikeDV.

MikeDV, try a default install of FSX in your C: drive (install in C:/, not a Program Files folder) and see if performance is better. Even separate internal SSDs can have slight slowdowns depending on the motherboard.

I solved that problem by upgrading to Windows 10. :-) I cannot recall if back then default aircraft were affected but it is unlikely to matter. I had issues with controls disconnecting in the middle of a long flight. If you truly do not want to upgrade, see if going to Device Manager and turning off all power saving modes of USB devices will help.

The external model isn't working. It may be corrupt or not installed correctly. Try reinstalling. If the problem persists, try running the sim with DirectX 10 Preview Mode unchecked.

A freeware offering for real weather that I know of is this: https://www.fsxwx.com/home.htm I personally stick with Active Sky. I used ASN for Steam and now use AS16. REX's weather engine disappoints me every time with its weather changes that is jarring to watch.

I'm curious: are you using Windows 8.1? It had a well known bug that disconnects controls from FSX. However I do not remember that happening as a direct result of clicking on the task bar. Like other posters said, check to make sure Pause on Task Switch is unchecked and try default aircraft.

It should work as long as the paths in the scenery file match. Make a backup copy of scenery.cfg first in case something goes wrong. You can always edit the file with a text editor or use Scenery Config Editor (freeware) as needed.