chicagorandy

IMHO, the very BEST way to learn to fly is to start your ground school with a private pilot training center. As you are no doubt aware, flight school is pricey but so is 'quality' flight sim hardware that would effectively - for your goal - mimic a real aircraft. If I had to choose one or the other, I'd go 'real life' in a heartbeat. Most every school in my experience offers a low-cost Introduction to Flight session - usually about $150 or so. You'll get to experience first hand General Aviation and get an idea if it's for you. Then you can decide where to spend your hard-earned $$$. Most good schools also have simulators on which you can practice what you're learning without paying the plane & instructor hourly rate. IMHO flight sims are great fun, but they merely 'approximate' the real experience, no matter how immersive the environment the expensive hardware you buy creates.

That is for the LIVE event for which you have to register. I'm seeking a stand-alone version.

I am aware of the live event but wonder if anyone has developed a software add-on that lets users practice the Fisk arrival with sim ATC interaction whenever they want.

Great points Loki. I would inform/remind newcomers to this sim that UNLIKE the previous versions of MS Flight over the decades, MSFS2020 was 100% crafted from the ground up by an outside French firm (Asobo) and as far as I know has no direct DNA software relationship to all the other MS flight products that went before. I think of it as the brand new flight sim from a new software company that it is and am SLOWLY learning how to make it work for me without thought to all the older MS sims I have laying around.

I am pleased to report that the latest World Update X was uneventful and did not require me to leave the game to go to the Store first. Things just keep getting better and better from the good folks at Asobo IMHO. As always, your mileage may vary and your hardware and internet connection ARE different than mine.

Maybe his FSX found out he tried MSFS 2020 and it is now pouting?

Opinions and butt cheeks - everybody has them. Glad you found a flight sim (FSX) that you enjoy playing. Millions of others (me included) found a flight sim (MSFS 2020) that we enjoy playing. I would never tell you what you 'should' like and I'm sure you feel the same way about MY sim choices. It's ALL good IMHO, and bottom line, it's only a game, we ain't solving world hunger ner nuthin'.

I don't know what agency creates their ads, but Microsoft does indeed use a good one.

Just a quick followup - the inexpensive powered USB hub works a treat. Plenty of power for four accessories and it has a separate charging port too. FWIW - this is the one I bought: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083XTKV8V?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

I'm but a young whipper-snapper at 73, but 1. there are NO dumb questions, and B. Life will be easiest just selecting new MSFS 2020 ready aircraft, either from the sim's Marketplace or other after-market vendors.

Well then, I guess you can't complain too loudly at the person who did the work..:)

If you know who did the conversion you might ask them? Or was this a D.I.Y effort?

My $20 powered USB hub arrives tomorrow from Amazon.

My replacement for the stolen trim wheel arrived a little while ago. Installation was 'relatively' plug and play. Caveat - my Logitech yoke system won't power it up using one of the two open usb ports in the yoke.......which kinda stinks. For now I have the trim wheel plugged into an available usb port at the back of my desktop. I may invest in a powered usb hub, Amazon has one that looks good for about $20. Other than that glitch, FS2020 recognized it immediately and I was able to set it up as the elevator 100% trim device without any issue. I made a brief flight in a 152 to confirm it was operating properly - needed to remove the 'reverse trim' option under Controls- and it is a very precise and EASY way to trim out the plane. Much more intuitive and simple than using assigned buttons on the yoke. I like it. Though at $100 USD I wouldn't call it 'economical' - lol - less so when you have to buy it twice.

Thanks for the sentiment - Yes I have the porch pirate on video. Wearing a hoodie and a covid face mask. He arrived not 15 minutes after the Fedex delivery and 4 seconds later was gone. The reality is that I live in Chicago proper, a couple miles from Midway Airport, and the Chicago Police can't arrest 1/3 of the murderers, let alone assign someone to track down a box thief. Not even worth reporting. My new trim wheel arrives Friday again via Fedex - but this time 'Signature Required'.

I've just downloaded the free sample version (ALL the features but only out of KGRB airport) of this software which offers audible flight training guidance using about 40 different FS2020 aircraft from the 152 to the 747. Tried it out and indeed it does work well..... albeit with a British voice - lol The purchase price if I decide to keep it is $40, which all things considered isn't terrible. I mean heck, I just lost a $100 Flight Velocity trim wheel to a porch pirate this past Saturday. A YouTube vid and their primary website is at: https://www.fsflyingschool.com/ And at free the price can't be beat to try it out.

I sadly AM old enough to remember when the 3 digit emergency 911 phone number was created. The first commercials for it told us to dial Nine-Eleven in any emergency. You guessed it. They got frantic operator calls from people who said their phone didn't have an eleven. The commercials had to be made more idiot-proofed and since then it is always called Nine-One-One. True story.

Fired up the sim to try out my new GrassMonkey King sensor and was pleased to see the new TBM(?) startup screen. Sure beats not knowing that the game is loading. Also did the very painless update to add the Maverick specific F/A 18 challenges. Pretty neat.

As you wish.

I don't think Asobo reads THIS web board? You might want to post this at the Zendesk?

Positioned myself at the Rapid City airport in my lovely little 415-C Ercoupe and did the prerequisite couple laps around Mt Rushmore. Great fun.

Thanks - makes sense. I reckon I gotta learn me some glass panel GPS stuff one of these years.

I mostly only fly older GA aircraft -no glass panels - can someone translate the above sentence into words a gopher-brain like ME could understand? lol