MS flight Simulator and the future of map building

[Caliga]

You guys seem to focus a lot on graphics. How is the actual sim part?

To me the controls 'feel' realistic.  But I've only flown an actual plane several times so I'm probably not the best person to answer.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Just finished the Nevada bush challenge.  Man, that's a lot of flying around, but definitely a good time.  I did the first Balkan leg and it wasn't as cool.  Maybe if they put you in a 172 that didn't have all the glass cockpit and nav stuff, it would be better, but that isn't a standard edition plane for whatever weird reason.

E:  Yeah, the G1000 172 is just too....high class?...for a "bush trip."  Right now, it's basically flying itself to the next destination, 3700ft, 0 trim, mix 50%, 2301 RPM = 109kt TAS, 10gph fuel flow, and steady VS.  I could just press the autopilot button and it would literally fly itself, but at least this way I can poke the controls every once in a while to follow this highway.  Cessna made/makes a fantastic plane that's really stable and easy to fly, but it's just too civilized for me with these missions heh.  I want to take the Shock Ultra on one of these bush trips.  That thing is badass.  This game has made me a Zlin fanboy for sure.

[Syt]

I've been flying the Extra for its glass canopy mostly, and it's been easy to handle. I usually pick routes A to B and then a low altitude flight path (and request 8000 ft cruising alt after take off - is there a way to set it before launch?) so that it's more than just flying in a straight line. Genoa airport made me do a pretty big waiting circle.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Check out the Robin aerobatic trainer too if you like the Extra.  I forget the name, but it's the taildragger in red/white/blue.  It's not as awesome, of course, because Extras are incredible, but it's still fun and it's got the old school dials and such.

I don't think there's a way to set starting altitudes, but if you don't want to go low altitude IFR, you can do VFR with waypoints by picking a starting point and destination, then clicking on the map (or adding coordinates from Bing/Google Maps by copying and pasting them into the search box) and clicking Add. 

[Tamas]

Iirc you can edit your cruising altitude pre-flight if you click on the Navlog button when setting up the flight.

[Berkut]

Yeah, based on that Wiki article, he got VERY lucky.

I remember meeting a guy who went to school with him. Apparently he was always a bit weird.

Yeah, he was definitely a very weird guy.

He later nearly murdered some girl for rejecting him. Given the West German legal system, that landed him in jail for like, a year.

[Syt]

This is some good flying. If we ever need to do a trench run on the Death Star, I suggest hiring this guy:

https://vimeo.com/450941294

[Syt]

Took a leisurely flight from El Alamein to Sidi Barani via Mersa Matruh. It's about as flat as I'd imagine, some dry riverbeds and beach resorts notwithstanding.

Kind of makes you wonder if WW2 pilots struggled with their navigation during the Western Desert Campaign.







Some textures were ... well you could tell where the seams were. 





I do love that the sea is not just a featureless surface but has some realistic shading with some "flatter" and some "darker" bits.

[The Minsky Moment]

This is some good flying. If we ever need to do a trench run on the Death Star, I suggest hiring this guy:

https://vimeo.com/450941294

Meh - not a single womp rat bullseyed.

[MadBurgerMaker]

I typed up most of the airport/strip codes for the Balkans and Patagonia bush trips if you want to, for example, take an Extra or 747 on one:

Balkans
Rijeka LDRI
Otocac LDRO
Zemunik LDZD
Kastela LDSP
Sinj LDSS
Mostar LQMO
Cilipi LDDU
Tivat LYTV
Tirana LATI
Aeroporti I Mifoit <---can't find this one
Ioannis Kapodistrias Int. LGKR
Aktion AB LGPZ
Missolonghi Airport LGMS
Kopaida Dimitra LGAK
Syros LGSO
Naxos LGNX
Santorini LGSR

Patagonia
Los Cerros Z00T
Tolhuin Lago Fagano Airport SAWL
Ushuaia Est Aeronaval SAWO
Yendegaia Airport SCNY
Azopardo Airport SCAZ
Almirante Schroeders SCDW
Marco Davison Bascur Airport SCID
Teniente Julio Gallardo SCNT
El Calafate SAWC
Lago Viedma Airstrip SCDV
Laguna Redonda Airport SCIO
Villa O'Higgins SCOH
Aerodromo Entrada Mayer SCEY
Lago Brown Airstrip SCBR
Cochrane SCHR

You can use skyvector.com to make your own waypoints outside of the game, although some of them might not show up in that if they're not in use or whatever.

[DGuller]

I remember that incident (god we're old). Amazing that he wasn't shot down.

It was probably one of those situations where someone acts so weird and crazy that people who are unprepared for that insanity are just lost as to what to do, and therefore extreme stupidity comes off looking like an act of genius.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Okay the Icon is pretty great except the outside engine noise.  Rotax engines don't sound like this on any of the others in this game that have them (E: At least the ones I've tried.  Haven't jumped in the Virus or CT yet).  Are A5s uniquely...buzzy?  I've never heard one in real life.

Anyway, flew VFR from Arlington > Waco > Fredericksburg > San Antonio > Rockport > some place on the coast > some other place on the coast near Brownsville while firing off emails today.  Good times.

[MadBurgerMaker]

WELP my GFX card is crapping out so I had to blow off my own post about waiting and ordered some juiced EVGA 2070 Super "XC Ultra Gaming."  Should be here Monday, but meanwhile I've had to downclock and undervolt the Vega 64 to something that runs more like a 1060 or RX 480 or so to prevent continuous crashing.  Lame. 

It's doing this on every game that even kind of pushes it.  I think it might be overheating, but I can't get the stupid microscopic screws off due to the loctite that they apparently slathered all over them so I can check the thermal compound on the chip.  Hard to pin it down though because it's just an instantaneous crash that blanks the screens, cranks the fan up to 100%, and requires a full reboot.  No logs or error messages.  While I was at it, I ordered another 16GBs of RAM for a total of 32, because why not?

E:  This one: https://www.newegg.com/evga-geforce-rtx-2070-super-08g-p4-3173-kr/p/N82E16814487453  1800mhz boost clock sounds good and it has a gigantic heat sink on it.  Also has that USB-C plug on there, which is good for VR from what I understand.

[Josquius]

Anyone here tried storm chasing?
Apparently quite a fad with the incoming hurricane.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Yeah I tried it with both the one that just hit the Gulf Coast and the one that was right off Baja a couple weeks ro whatever ago.  Never made it to the eye of either one, and the one in the Pacific bugged out and left me with clear skies. 

Someone on Reddit came across the NOAA P-3 while doing it with Live Traffic on.