Jump to content

PhantomTweak

Registered Users
  • Posts

    3,546
  • Joined

About PhantomTweak

  • Birthday 05/30/1960

Personal Information

  • Location
    Klammath Falls, OR
  • Occupation
    disabled/retired

Interest

  • Interests
    flying, real or Simmed

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

PhantomTweak's Achievements

Super Grand Master

Super Grand Master (7/7)

  • Week One Done
  • One Month Later
  • One Year In
  • Conversation Starter Rare
  • First Post Rare

Recent Badges

10

Reputation

  1. My father was a UAL pilot for a long time, and he hated the 727's. He said they were a royal ****** to try and land in the slightest little crosswind. So naturally, wherever he went to land one, no matter what the winds may HAVE been before he started his approach, now the wind had come out of 90° to the runway heading, and was at gale force. Gusty, of course. Never failed. He started with UAL on the DC-8's, and when they got rid of them, they gave him a choice. Nice to have seniority. Anywho, they told him he could go with the 747, or 727. He took the 727's. He was tired of week long trips overseas, with the "stretch 8's". Cargo OR passengers. He really didn't differentiate. He flew the 727's for a couple of years, then told UAL that either they put him in something else, or he was quitting. They put him in the 737's, and he had found a home. He loved the "mini-pig", as he called them. UAL used them as short-haul mostly, and this fit my father perfectly. Up and down the west coast, doing the short, commuter type hops. Mostly as a Standby Pilot. Any Captain called in sick, or whatever, he'd take the flight. He loved it. He was based at KSFO, and he had been there so long that when he went to check in with KSFO Tower, he would just say "Hey, hey, hey! It's Faaaaaaat Albert!". In that voice Cosby used. His name was actually Alfred but hey, it worked for him. The tower would give him the landing info, and welcome him home :D Ok, I've wasted enough time. I won't tell y'all about how he got the Model A Ford he used as his "airport" car. Even had the UAL parking sticker last I saw it... Have fun, all! Pat☺
  2. OK, I'll try to help if I can. First, you can get rid of windowsize_ratio=0.2. When size_mm= is specified, it's disregarded. So, the size ratio line is just a space taker. What you need to do, is to change the gauge00=Cessna172!Airspeed, 105,107, 78, 78 size of the gauges themselves, here indicated with red. Obviously, this can cause overlap troubles. Just move the gauges within the window, the numbers NOT in red, until they don't overlap one another. You need to do this for all the gauges. There is obviously math that can be done to figure out how big to make each gauge so that they all will fit inside the window you've specified. Remember, each gauge actually takes up a square, as specified by the numbers in red. In this example, each square is measured in millimeters, unless you specify the background is 1024X768, in which case they are in pixels. The best way I, personally, have found is to creat the background the sie I want, then start populating it. Start at gauge00=Cessna172!Airspeed, 105,107, 78, 78 something more like 5, 5, or 10,10. That will place the first gauge in the upper left corner, with a little spare to be safe. Once you've got it placed, change the 78,78 until it's usable. However big you make it, the move the next gauge over that far, plus a little spare. For example, let's say, to make life easy on me, that you need to make the 78, 78 a 100, 100. then the next gauge would be placed at 105,105, and again, made 100,100 big. Rinse, repeat. Remember, the numbers I used were simply convenient. They may have NO relation to reality. Other than where to place the first gauge. 5, 5, is a nice, easy starting point. Hope this is some, small, help. I with you good fortune! Pat☺
  3. I don't have that controller, but in most piston engine planes, OFF, R, L, BOTH, START, is indicating the magneto's to use. IE: R is the right magneto only, BOTH indicates both magnetos on that engine active. Most, if not all, piston engine aircraft have 2 sets of complete ignition systems. Two magnetos, two sets of plug wires, etc etc. Per engine. Very similar to a system Nissan built into their trucks many years ago. If one plug fouls, or a plug wire fails, whatever, the other is still functional, and keeps that cylinder operating. Lower efficiency, lower power, etc, but still functional. It's a good thing in an aircraft, to have backup system operating at all times. Ready to pick up the load from the other system in an instant. Losing a cylinder at 4,000' AGL is a lot worse than out 4-wheelin, but you get the idea. If you ready you start-up checklist for, for example, a C-172, you will note that one check is to, once the engine is operating properly, turn the key to R, then L, then back to BOTH. You will see an RPM drop when you switch to a single magneto, but there is a limit as to how much. If it goes beyond the specified RPM drop during this check, the plane is "down", and may not be flown until the problem is fixed. This is not applicable to turbine engines, or jets. They operate differently, and once started, the spark system is turned off as it is no longer needed. They are self-sustaining. If they fail during flight, and you need an air-start, the spark system is activated, and it's a stronger system to try and ensure a good start-up. Does this answer your question at all? Pat☺
  4. My initial training was in a glider. With a stick. THEN I learned to drive. At about the same time, I was learning powered flight in a Citabria. Again, a stick. In my little pea brain, aircraft are flown with a stick, cars are driven with steering wheel, and never the twain shall meet. Once again, just the way my brain got programmed early. A stick just seems to me more intuitive to the way an aircraft moves. Having said that, it seems to me there's a reason aerobatic craft, and that includes military fighters (Not the P-38 :) ), are all flown with a stick, and the "trash haulers", cargo planes, heavy transport, and so on, are flown with a yoke. Why? I dunno. It just seems like if you need rapid, accurate, sensitive response to the control inputs, you need a stick. Again, I have no references, no studies to quote, anything like that. I'm sure Larry has a much better insight into all this. All this is just observation of the world around me. For what it is worth, which aint much. I'll keep flying with a stick, and driving with a steering wheel, though. :D Whatever you decide to use, have fun with it! Pat☺
  5. Very difficult for me to get excited about something I can't use. You need two functional eyes for VR to work. It's the two different pictures being sent to your brain that give the appearance of 3D. So for me, it's useless. Looks same as a flat-screen TV. I only have one eye left after I ran into a horse, square on, on my motorcycle, at 60 MPH. The loss of the eye was one permanent injury. Same with 3D movies and so on, that you need the special glasses for. Don't work for me. I can wear my patch, and carry my parrot on my shoulder. All it takes is for me to say "ARRrRR!" :D :D So, for those for whom it works, I am glad for them. But I can't see, no pun intended, getting overly excited about it myself. Does that answer your question for me? Pat☺
  6. PhantomTweak

    realwx 3.0

    Actually, if you don't want to buy it, you don't have to. If you don't ever buy it, it will keep on working in the "demo" version. Limited functionality. It WILL insert the weather into the sim, same as if you bought it. It just won't have all the little extras the payed for version has. Much like FSRealWX Lite. Also, it will keep right on working in the demo version long after the "30 uses" are in the past. Much like FSUIPC. You don't pay, the basic functionality is there, just all the extras the pay version has aren't activated. Hope this is some small help... Pat☺
  7. Did you try hitting CTRL+F4 to turn the blowers on? That's the default command to turn the AB's on/off. It's a toggle. Can you post the [Engine] section from the aircraft.cfg, and the panel.cfg? We may see something in them that might help... Good luck! Pat☺
  8. Yeah! What he said. It was such a popular $100.00 hamburger stop that we put in an apron, and personnel gate, right across the highway from it. Park, tie down, and just walk across the road. There's so much traffic, I've actually had to wait for 3 vehicles to pass before I could cross it on my into Chiloquin! Not very often, but hey, it HAS happened. At least twice I can recall. Hard to stand all that traffic, I know, but it's what we have to live with :D :D :rolleyes: Have fun all Pat☺
  9. What I can't believe is that you managed to get that plane off the ground from our runway :D After all, it aint the longest runway in the world. Or even in the area! Having said that, I did check, and you CAN land a C-130 on our little airport. Getting it OUT again is a plane of an entirely different paint scheme, so to speak. I don't have any Beech planes, but I can let you use my F7F-3 Tigercat. If you keep it down to about 1/4 fuel load, and of course NO armament (other than the guns and ammo, naturally!), run up the engines to war emergency power, full flaps, then drop the brakes, with a headwind, you'll get her off the ground without toooooo much trouble. Just watch the phone/power lines at the approach end of the runway! Have fun, everyone! Pat☺
  10. Not only is Crater Lake deep, it's sitting in the caldera of an active volcano. Yes, the "crater" part of Crater Lake was formed a long time ago when the volcano it's in blew it's top. The local Native American tribe, that has lived in Chiloquin for at least the last 11,000 years, has some very fascinating legends of what happened when Crater Lake formed. So do the other tribes in the area, The Yahuska, Klamath, and Modoc. Given that the volcano it's formed of is still active, it's only a matter of time until Crater Lake vanishes in a huge cloud of steam. Like Mt. McLaughlin, Mt. Shasta, the Three Sisters, and all the rest. All active, all with lava moving around under them, all just biding their time. There WILL come a day when one or all will go off again. It won't be pretty for the humans in this area! Until then, I love this place. It's quiet, peaceful, beautifull, and filled with the natural wonders of this area. Trees, Klamath and Agency Lakes, and all the animals, and birds, associated with this kind of area. Including the predators. Wolves, bears, cougars, hawks, Bald Eagles, owls... I've even had a cougar come up on my back porch a few times, and look in through my sliding glass door at my kitties, all of whom did their best to threaten it to make it go away :D Sorry. It's a beautiful flight area. Enjoy it! Thanks for the pictures, Michael! Pat☺
  11. Welllll.... Yes and no. Nothing like a straight answer, huh? The civilian side of the airport is pretty dead. No commercial flights currently, not counting the package carriers. UPS, FedEx, and so forth. A little GA traffic, as well, but not a lot. The military portion is pretty busy, though. Since this is the last active F-15 training base, every class goes through makes things perk up quite a bit. There is also an agressor squadron aboard the base, so they add to the military traffic. It can get pretty busy at times, and since the pattern goes right over what's now the center of town, S 6th St, and Washburn (there's actually a VOR/TAC tower in the Bi-Mart parking lot!), there can be some loud sounds in that area. ALMOST everyone that hears the jets go over cheers for them, too! Good people here. Does that answer the questions? BTW, 2S7 can get a little busy during the summer. A couple GA planes are hangared here, and they do fly a fair amount. As well, 2S7 is a back-up base for the helicopters used for forest fires, to provide a refueling/re-watering location if KLMT is too busy, and a camp for the firemen that fight the forest fires. They put up tents, and can go to the stores in town for food, drinks, and so on. Even a couple restaurants they're more than welcome at. Have fun all! Pat☺
  12. It looks even better IRL :D I don't think the roads are open yet though. Still quite a few feet of snow need to melt down, and we've had some pretty cool weather, slowing the process. It might have some roads open for the Fourth, but no promises. BTW, sadly, Melita's has closed. No more flights in for $100.00 hamburgers :rolleyes: Another place has opened in Chiloquin, though. Called JJ's. Operated by a Hispanic family, not that that matters any, and the man has had some real scary medical troubles lately. He's up in Bend, at the hospital. His wife and daughter are running it now, but no idea how much longer. Real nice folks. When it's open, though, the food is really good. He's a professional chef, and taught them both very well. Only take out orders allowed. Worth a try if you're in the area. Have fun all! Pat☺
  13. First, just exactly what helicopter are you talking about? What zip file, is it payware or freeware, where did you download it from, if you did download it. What do you mean setting up the flight controls? Do you mean calibrating your joystick? If so, what joystick? Ar you using some kind of 3rd party software for calibration, or the FSX internal calibration? Do you have FSUIPC installed? Freeware or payware version? Just which version number? Are you using FSUIPC to do the joystick calibration? As a general rule, most helicopters, at least the turbine powered ones like the Bell 206, utilize the sim's throttle axis for the collective, and the twist, or rudder (z) axis, for the tail rotor. If you are in a turbine powered bird, just set the twist grip in the VC all the way up, and leave it there. You usually need to do this by clicking on one side of the twist grip on the collective in the VC. Then leave it there until you go to shut the engine off completely. What do you mean by the cyclic movements? The actual way the stick makes the blades look when you move it around, or the effect doing so has? Remember that what you SEE the rotor disc doing from the outside view, and what effect they're having on the bird are two different things. Yes, you generally need almost full collective to launch a chopper off the ground, especially if it's near max TOW. Full fuel, passenger/cargo load, and so on. IN the sim. This isn't real life, although there are some very good ways to make the sim much closer to the way a helicopter flies in real life than the way it works out of the box. A lot of 3rd party helicopters in the sim load up either at MTOW, or over it, and you have to adjust the fuel and passenger/cargo load to make it correct. Bear in mind there is NO "seat of the pants" feel to a sim helicopter, like the real ones that you're used to. It's the biggest complaint I've heard from real helicopter pilots who want to fly in the sim. Are you using any 3rd party control software? Like HTR, for example? If so, are you sure you're using the correct .cfg file for it? There are ways to adjust the effect the controls have on the different blades. In the bird's .air file. The main and tail rotors, the drag of the body of the helicopter it's self, and so on. I can direct to some very well written articles on this. Just be sure you have access to a good .air file editor. Ok, I've rambled on long enough. Let me know what's going on... Pat☺
  14. Yeah, it is. I've looked over the approach plates for Kingsley. Definately can be interesting. Hard altitudes, specific speeds... I've seen that before, too. MCAS Yuma has the same kind of stuff, for it's military approaches. MCAS has nukes aboard, though, and a LAAMBn (Light Anti Aircraft Missile Battalion) battery. I have never seen them fire off a missile, but they're there to help defend the base. It's funny, too. They're located downrange for the base's rifle range, and during the training for the guards of the areas where the weapon bunkers are, they often get a little excitable, and fire their weapons full auto. They wanna be bad-a$$es, so they forget everything we teach them and fire their full magazines from the hip. No control. Sadly, their muzzles invariably climb, and some of their rounds go over the berm in the butts. And guess just exactly where they land...yep, 2ND LAAMBn. Their buildings are full of patched up holes. The coaches scream and yell at the shooters, 2ND LAAMBn screams and yells at the base CO, he screams and yells at the base SgtMaj, he screams and yells at the Station Training CO, HE screams and yells at the guys that fired the rounds, and us for letting them. About once a month, lots of screaming and yelling. ANYwho... I haven't seen any evidence of a LAAMBn here, or the Air Force equivalent, or bunkers for "special" weapons, but the runway is long enough, and has a high enough weight rating, they COULD either have special weapons aboard, or be able to accept transports that could carry them in. Lots to think about. We ARE the only F-15 training base the AF has, too. From what I've seen, it wouldn't take much to make the planes fully mission capable. Anywho, I ramble, sorry. Have fun all! Pat☺
  15. Welcome to the forum. Needless to say, this is much more than just a "long weekend" to me, and, I'm sure, the other military members here. It's a great chance to stop for a while, and remember our long, or not so long, lost brothers and sisters. Maybe even say a silent farewell to those we have personally lost. I know I do that, myself. Besides that though, it's a real nice way for the government to wish me a happy birthday :D Have a great one, all! Pat☺
×
×
  • Create New...