How to keep it fresh

I like to fly as realistic as I can w/ real world routes/acft/flight numbers etc. I also only like using airports where I have scenery for, however I am running out of ideas to do.

 

Can people suggest what to do, or what you do in P3D.

 

Thanks

Have you considered a Virtual Airline? That can be a fun way to give some purpose to your simming. A lot of them have accomplishments you can try to achieve, like landing at certain airports or flying certain planes. I'd be happy to recommend a few if you're interested...

I usually return to a bit of bush flying with dead reckoning and no FMCs to help. Just gives me a buzz flying some of the vintage stuff which started a lot of what occupies are skies today.

I've been watching Premier 1 Driver's videos on YouTube and I duplicate most of his flights. These would be best suited for a corporate jet, I use the ES Citation X or the Carenado CJ2. He does a great job of narrating and explaining what he's doing, SIDs/transitions, STARs/transitions, approaches, etc. Just watch a couple, get the charts going in another tab and you'll see what I mean. He answers people's questions in the comments so read through those too.

You can plan a world tour and pick up all the local schedules from FlightAware, get routes from edi-gla and fly as close to real as you can. You can always use freeware scenery, available in plenty here: http://www.freewarescenery.com/fsx.html

 

P.S. If you're using FSX scenery, just make sure that the Taxi Links are set to default. Otherwise, you won't see the taxiway, but just grass. https://scruffyduck.screenstepslive.com/s/help_docs/m/20268/l/199756-setting-taxi-link-draw-flags-to-default-values

I've been in VAs before, but I got bored of flying just one airline, I use all the software like PFPX, Navigraph Charts etc

Commit yourself to try something new every month that you haven't done before.

 

For example, this month I will only (pick one):

 

1. Fly to airports I have never flown to before.

2. Explore a country I have always wanted to visit in real life.

3. Fly seaplanes

4. Take screenshots of my flight and post them.

5. Fly my favorite airline and all their aircraft type.

6. Land in the top 10 dangerous airports.

 

You get the idea...

 

Clutch

Just a note to Clutch: When I was working at VMFAT-401, a Marine agressor squadron in Yuma, flying Israeli Kfirs with civilian contractor maintenance and Marine Corps pilots, we had a pilot, the XO actually, who's callsign was Clutch.

Just struck me when I saw your screen-name. You never worked at '401 by any chance, didja? Just wondering. It's a small world...

Pat☺

Plan all flights to the most dangerous airports in the world. Use programs like FS Passengers, FS Captain,etc, to make things more interesting.

Thanks for the suggestions

Another way to change things completely is to start flying light aircraft. ORBX regions have scenery on virtually every airport, with a handful of small, remote exceptions. I've got all the North American regions, and a friend and I have been exploring these (direct connect multiplayer) for a few years and still haven't visited all the available airports. And, there's some incredible beauty, many places (and this is from just a few hundred feet up) difficult to tell whether it's a sim or a photo.

 

We've used Cessnas, helicopters, sea planes (including the default Grumman twin), Bonanzas, Barons, L-39 (the jet trainer), and a variety of other aircraft for this exploration, almost always finding at least one aircraft (usually more), and often finding people on the airport, sometimes even seeing horses, deer, birds and more. Some of the ORBX add-on airports even bring in fantastic detail, right down to grass and small flowers, traffic cones, dumpsters and much, much more for us to explore.

 

Follow the roads, use a program such as Flightmap (with a server on the PC and a map/satellite viewing program on a tablet) to compare the sim with the real satellite view, as well as getting place names, etc. displayed.

 

There's a lot to do in that fashion that has nothing to do with airliners and schedules. You're flying, rather than just operating some fancy systems.

 

So with all the above responses, plus this one, you've got many, many years of simming ahead.

To Pat... sorry, different "Clutch".

Thanks Clutch, I was just wondering. It would have been quite a coincidence :)

 

To the OP:

Sometimes I like to fly a plane I've never flown before. Try to really master it. Take-off, flying, landing, all of it. Or go up an practice aerobatics, in a plane not really designed for them. Like Mr. Bob Hoover's Shrike Commander. Or a DC-8. Or try a landing at a hard to hit runway, and once I can it most of the time, add in some challenging weather. Practice my CQ's, again, in some bad weather. Visibility at 200-1/2. Rain, wind...

This is an endlessly interesting simulator. I don't see myself getting bored with it for many many years to come.

Pat☺

I like to fly as realistic as I can w/ real world routes/acft/flight numbers etc. I also only like using airports where I have scenery for, however I am running out of ideas to do.

 

Can people suggest what to do, or what you do in P3D.

 

Thanks

 

Do you fly online with live controllers, other traffic etc? I fly with a small group of friends so we have our own traffic and a side channel for chat. We find the flight planning and correct operation stimulating. Perhaps you already do this, if so best get down to the local airport and do a bit of real stuff.

If all else is not a challenge then build a full home cockpit (mine in link below)

Barry

http://www.a320sim.com