Microsoft Flight Sim X?

[A35K]

Just wondering, does anyone here play/has played Flight Sim X (or any other flight simulator)?

If you do, whats your favourite plane to fly? Any "records" you broke (eg. highest altitude, fastest spped, etc.)?

My favourite is probably the Airbus A380, and using an addon supersonic plane I went up to 60,000 ft and reached Mach 2.35!

[Sampa]

I play it! My favorite is either this freeware 737-800 southwest livery or northwest airlink saab 340, also freeware. I...never thought about breaking records...

[Flymetothemun]

I have FS2004; I'm afraid that my computer would blow up if I tried to run FSX. I'd say that my favorite plane to fly would be the Boeing 737 with whatever choice of stock livery I like that day. I don't know why but just I like it. As for records, I don't keep track of numbers; I just get in the air, sit back, make sure I don't overspeed or stall, and relax. I also use the ATC interface, kinda adds to the mood and makes it that much cozier.

[dr_jt]

I'm and old guy, use to be a pilot, I have had about every flightsim there has been, and on a number of different computers. I even had one for the old TRS-80 and an Ultralight sim for the Color Computer. I currently have X-Plane installed, but I only fly GA aircraft and the Piper Cub is one I fly a lot.

[razark]

I've got FSX. I generally like to muck about in smaller craft, or fly some vintage planes. I've been doing some navigation by plotting out a course with a ruler, protractor, and E6B, and then taking a C-47 around. I also enjoy getting something quick and maneuverable and flying at low level. Taking a P-38 through the Grand Canyon was fun. Lately, I've been trying my hand at not running helicopters into anything, but it doesn't seem to be working out very well. I've also been working on some minor scenery once in a while. I got annoyed that my workplace was not represented at all, so I've been adding it a bit at a time, mostly using building models I found online.

I've honestly never seen the attraction people have to flying airliners. It seems pretty boring to me, but from what I've seen, it's one of the most popular uses of non-combat flightsims. Can anyone explain it?

[UnionPacific1983WP]

OH do I have FSX!!! I've been playing it since like 2010 or 2011!

[Sampa]

I've got FSX. I generally like to muck about in smaller craft, or fly some vintage planes. I've been doing some navigation by plotting out a course with a ruler, protractor, and E6B, and then taking a C-47 around. I also enjoy getting something quick and maneuverable and flying at low level. Taking a P-38 through the Grand Canyon was fun. Lately, I've been trying my hand at not running helicopters into anything, but it doesn't seem to be working out very well. I've also been working on some minor scenery once in a while. I got annoyed that my workplace was not represented at all, so I've been adding it a bit at a time, mostly using building models I found online.

I've honestly never seen the attraction people have to flying airliners. It seems pretty boring to me, but from what I've seen, it's one of the most popular uses of non-combat flightsims. Can anyone explain it?

For me, personally, it's the thrill of using big jets!

[Flymetothemun]

I've honestly never seen the attraction people have to flying airliners. It seems pretty boring to me, but from what I've seen, it's one of the most popular uses of non-combat flightsims. Can anyone explain it?

I just like the fact that they aren't agile. I WILL have my moments when I feel like barnstorming, but most of the time I just like to relax and have fun and the relative lack of sensitivity and "squirreliness" make for an easy-to-operate plane. Plus, the landings are REALLY hard, and I like that for the challenge. And lemme tell you, you really learn to use the PAPI lights well after having landed a jet.

[LordFerret]

Been flying Microsoft FSs since version 1.0 ... I think I may still have the floppy (v1.0) tucked away in storage. My favorite bug in that early version was to invert and dive ... you would gain altitude like mad lol. At the time, (we) played it on a mono-screen, and later on an original Compaq portable with a green mono-screen. The last edition I bought was the 2004: Century of Flight. Thought about the latest version, but everything I've read thus far is that X-Plane has a better/more realistic flight model and scenery handling (but lacks scenery by default). Undecided still.

I've flown the DC-3 and Learjet around the world, as in circumnavigated... took in all the sights, like the Pyramids in Egypt, France, England, etc etc etc. I've landed the Learjet on the aircraft carrier... only to have rolled it off the edge in an attempt to turn around so I could take off again lol. I landed the DC-3 at the airport on the Galapagos Island... at night (ugh, took me 4 approaches before I managed, there's no lights - only a red beacon). Also flew that same DC-3 the length of the Panama Canal - just to see the boats in the canal. And I also took that same DC-3 all the way down into Antarctica, I forget the name of the strip I landed at. Dove over Niagara Falls in the Beechcraft Barron (my favorite craft in the sim) just to see the "Maid-of-the-mist" boat, looping around beneath the falls. Retraced my Alaska trip via Beechcraft Barron, the Inside Passage from Vancouver to Anchorage, and all the stops in-between (Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Seward), including the Tracy Arm and College Fjord... a trip I started and ended via the 737-300, Newark - Chicago - Vancouver, then Anchorage - Chicago - Newark. I also used to fly the Barron between the World Trade Center towers... that was long before they came down.

And now?... I've got an urge to go fly.

[razark]

For me, personally, it's the thrill of using big jets!

But big jets on a small airframe makes for a bigger thrill!

I just like the fact that they aren't agile. ... I just like to relax and have fun and the relative lack of sensitivity and "squirreliness" make for an easy-to-operate plane.

That easy-to-operate part is kind of what I don't understand. Between takeoff and landing, what do you do? All I can see is set the autopilot, grab a book or movie, and check in every so often. The ATC seems more of a chore than immersion, and I don't think the scenery is interesting enough at airliner altitudes to make looking at it very engaging. At that point, why bother to play?

And even without the autopilot, once you get it straight and level, just keep doing it? Wheee?

Plus, the landings are REALLY hard, and I like that for the challenge. And lemme tell you, you really learn to use the PAPI lights well after having landed a jet.

Psssh. I don't need a big airliner to make landings challenging. All I need is an airplane and a flat piece of ground.

(Landing has never been my strong point. I keep meaning to work on it, but I never really do.)

[Flymetothemun]

And now?... I've got an urge to go fly.

Heh, I do too sometimes. I've never even flown a plane. If I do it'll probably be an ultralight, I'd never pass the PPL test.

But you reminded me of the Learjet, and that's about my 2nd favorite. Once again, can't say why, it just feels "right", y'know? But I've really got to get into flight planning and doing a "proper" flight; The furthest I've gone was from KSEA to about halfway through southern Idaho in FS'04. Furthest complete flight was from KSEA to the Boeing field a few miles out. Might have to do a KPIT to KORD run sometime.

[Bev7787]

I played it before, had a ton of mods and then the hard drive broke.

[Flymetothemun]

That easy-to-operate part is kind of what I don't understand. Between takeoff and landing, what do you do? All I can see is set the autopilot, grab a book or movie, and check in every so often. The ATC seems more of a chore than immersion, and I don't think the scenery is interesting enough at airliner altitudes to make looking at it very engaging. At that point, why bother to play?

And even without the autopilot, once you get it straight and level, just keep doing it? Wheee?

Psssh. I don't need a big airliner to make landings challenging. All I need is an airplane and a flat piece of ground.

(Landing has never been my strong point. I keep meaning to work on it, but I never really do.)

I set the autopilot, grab a book or the paper, do all the flight following contacts I need to do via ATC, and do any maneuvering that's required to get me to where I want to go. I mainly do it to relax, and the sound of the jets does that beautifully. And sometimes you get some pretty cool visuals. I've also been meaning to look for and add some scenery addons but I haven't gotten round to it.

And landings are very easy for me, maybe that's why I think the landings are challenging. It's just the whole process of contacting ATC, getting in the pattern, getting the approach just right and lining up all the variables for a successful landing that I love. With a prop plane, it's kinda easy because they're so nimble, but jetliners, it's hard to juggle speed, throttle, flaps, pitch, etc; the thing's a beast and it's kinda hard to control at landing speeds, and that's why I like it.

(And, BTW, use your PAPI's. They're right next to the runway, 4 red or white lights. There should be 2 red and 2 white lights if you're on the right glideslope, more red and you're too low, more white and you're too high. This made landings MUCH easier.)

[ghostbuzzer7]

I play it too! But I really like using some addons like a halo warthog or a space shuttle replica <--- AMAZING but I want to say from having flight sim x gold, I prefer the blue angel fighter jet (dont know the name) and went 1400 mph? in stock physics of the game. Also loved the Cessna, large helicopter, and occasionally the stunt planes! And who can forget the ultralights

[Endersmens]

I had Flight Simulator 2000, with the 100+ page pilot training book and all. And now I have FSX, got it on steam summer sale for a few bucks. I mess around in the F/A-18 a lot, buzzing the ground and buildings.

[wx7]

I've got FSX.

I also got the A2A Cessna 182 recently. I love to fly it.

[LordFerret]

Heh, I do too sometimes. I've never even flown a plane. If I do it'll probably be an ultralight, I'd never pass the PPL test.

But you reminded me of the Learjet, and that's about my 2nd favorite. Once again, can't say why, it just feels "right", y'know? But I've really got to get into flight planning and doing a "proper" flight; The furthest I've gone was from KSEA to about halfway through southern Idaho in FS'04. Furthest complete flight was from KSEA to the Boeing field a few miles out. Might have to do a KPIT to KORD run sometime.

The Lear I always found quite nimble, but way way overpowered. You'd be at 500kts before you realized it and ripping the wings off. I liked the Barron because it was so nicely balanced, and very forgiving as far as a twin-engine prop went. I could put that thing down anywhere, the shortest of runways. I like it better than any of the Cessna's, except of course for the pontoon plane which is a must while flying all over Alaska lol. Speaking of Alaska, there's a runway way up north (I forget what country it was in) that's on the side of a mountain/cliff; The approach is straight in, no alternatives if you screw up, and you're landing essentially uphill. Turn around and take-off is downhill and off the edge of a cliff. lol

[Kerbart]

The RealAir Citabria and Decathlon. RealAir's planes are amazing and a very good case why you'd be willing to pay 2× or 3× the price of the game for DLC.

[LordFerret]

Ok, question:

Directed at Kerbart up there in Elmwood Park, but ya'll can answer. I used to live in northern NJ, southwest of Teterboro airport, and in-game (in-sim) I used Teterboro as "Home" (it was closer to me than Hanover airport, where I had my first real life ride in a single-engine Cessna mid-1960's), starting and ending my trips there, parking my plane there. These days, I use Miller Air Park in Ocean County.

So, do ya'll do the same?... use a field local to you and call it home?

[Flymetothemun]

The Lear I always found quite nimble, but way way overpowered. You'd be at 500kts before you realized it and ripping the wings off. I liked the Barron because it was so nicely balanced, and very forgiving as far as a twin-engine prop went. I could put that thing down anywhere, the shortest of runways. I like it better than any of the Cessna's, except of course for the pontoon plane which is a must while flying all over Alaska lol. Speaking of Alaska, there's a runway way up north (I forget what country it was in) that's on the side of a mountain/cliff; The approach is straight in, no alternatives if you screw up, and you're landing essentially uphill. Turn around and take-off is downhill and off the edge of a cliff. lol

That floatplane's pretty nice too. I just like the whole "See water? Land!" aspect of it, you can't do that on land unless you're in the desert or on the plains, and in the big planes you might as well forget it. And I like the added aspect of trying to find the "runway" of a seaport; I once spent 15 minutes going in circles and having the GPS open.

And I've heard of that airport, it's in the Scandinavian region, isn't it? Or Newfoundland province?

[razark]

So, do ya'll ... use a field local to you and call it home?

Usually, I'll use Ellington Field (KEFD). It's about five miles from both home and work, and I grew up even closer to it, listening to the F-4s and F-16s, and attending the airshows.

It's also where NASA flies their T-38s and WB-57s from, so extra coolness factor.

[Flymetothemun]

Ok, question:

Directed at Kerbart up there in Elmwood Park, but ya'll can answer. I used to live in northern NJ, southwest of Teterboro airport, and in-game (in-sim) I used Teterboro as "Home" (it was closer to me than Hanover airport, where I had my first real life ride in a single-engine Cessna mid-1960's), starting and ending my trips there, parking my plane there. These days, I use Miller Air Park in Ocean County.

So, do ya'll do the same?... use a field local to you and call it home?

Heh, I wish. I don't even think the places closest to me are in FS04, and as said, I don't have a pilots license or an airplane. But the closest airfield to me is about 1000-1500 feet (I can see planes from my back porch and can walk over there anytime in a minute or so) and closest airport is about 7-10 miles, I don't know what the official names are, but if I used them I'd call them home. Especially the airport; they're members of the EAA, they have a CAP squadron that meets there, and they have a yearly airshow or at least have a public event once a year. Just this year they had a B-25 and an AT-6 come in and a bunch of military vehicles. A couple years back they had a general airshow with a bunch of planes and helis and they even got a couple former Soviet Military MiG's to come.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Flymetothemun

[Endersmens]

(And, BTW, use your PAPI's. They're right next to the runway, 4 red or white lights. There should be 2 red and 2 white lights if you're on the right glideslope, more red and you're too low, more white and you're too high. This made landings MUCH easier.)

Or VASI's.

White over white, you're as high as a kite.

Red over white, you're alright.

Red over red, you're dead.

[LordFerret]

...

And I've heard of that airport, it's in the Scandinavian region, isn't it? Or Newfoundland province?

Yup! That's the one.

The airport near where you live, you should be able to look it up in FS.

[Flymetothemun]

Yup! That's the one.

The airport near where you live, you should be able to look it up in FS.

Well, wouldn't ya know, I did! Now time to see if a Boeing can take off on it's short runway.