I Got to Fly a Boeing 737-800

oldman

oldman

Well-known Member
Location
PA
One of my retired pilot friends has this really great flight simulator program from Microsoft. I never tried any of these programs before I tried this one. It takes a little time to get to know the intricacies or details of the program, but it was very real feeling and even the sounds made me feel like I really was in a cockpit flying a plane. I can see where a person without any flying experience, it would be a bit challenging.

I am considering buying one, but not totally convinced it’s something that I would fully enjoy. After all, it is a video game type.
 

Grampa Don said:
If it's the newest version, FSX, make sure your computer is up to it or you may be disappointed. It takes a fast processor and a high end graphics card to look the best. Here's a link to a forum where you can learn more.
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I was on his system when I used the program. He has a neat setup.

The website you listed has a lot of information on it. Thanks for sharing it.
 
Microsoft FX always required a more powerful computer than what was on the market to get the very most out of it. I did MSFS for years through the evolution of their product. I designed additional scenery mostly in Alaska for seaplane facilities and shared it with other enthusiasts on the net. Then one day they closed shop and I got away from it. The new one looks good, but I think I've had enough. I don't know how open source the new version is, and I don't know if I could tinker with it. I probably forgot half of what I learned about making scenery. But it's an interesting simulator, one of the longest and most engaging to me.
 
Flight Simulator has come a long way from its beginning. Here's my first version on my Commodore 64.

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911 said:
I was on his system when I used the program. He has a neat setup.

The website you listed has a lot of information on it. Thanks for sharing it.
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911 went with me and he couldn't get the plane to land without crashing. We laughed like children. He was becoming frustrated and after his third failed attempt, I gave him a few pointer and he finally did get the plane to land.

I watched some YouTube videos where guys made a cockpit in their den and used the software.

 
I think it would be actually possible to get a good head start on learning to fly a jet. I don't see any rudder pedals on the man's homemade simulator, but that's one heck of a setup.
 
I had rudder pedals on my setup, but they didn't last but a year. I think I recall a setting in MSFS called automatic rudder control, where you could just forget about the rudder and and the plane would fly fine without you doing any rudder work.
 
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I've wondered about virtual reality with FS. It seems like perfect situation where you sit in one spot, rather than running through caves and corridors. In FS, it would be realistic to sit in one spot, while events around you continually change and unfold as you move through space. One of things that felt so unrealistic about FS was to look out a side window you would activate the hat switch on the flight yoke with your thumb. In VR you would just naturally turn your head to look out the side or down at the ground. It seems like the perfect situation for virtual reality.
 
MSFS was such a popular program. I'm not sure why they shut down the operation and eventually sold the rights. I had heard from not reliable sources that with each upgrade they just kept adding new code to an obsolete platform, with all kinds of ghost code still in it, making the program untenable and power hungry. New games would come out each year using better platforms, instead of 20 year old platforms, and were less glitchy than MSFS. Did they just get lost in a sea of code and throw in the towel?🚁
 
oldman said:
911 went with me and he couldn't get the plane to land without crashing. We laughed like children. He was becoming frustrated and after his third failed attempt, I gave him a few pointer and he finally did get the plane to land.

I watched some YouTube videos where guys made a cockpit in their den and used the software.

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It’s not as easy as you made it look.
 
JustDave said:
MSFS was such a popular program. I'm not sure why they shut down the operation and eventually sold the rights. I had heard from not reliable sources that with each upgrade they just kept adding new code to an obsolete platform, with all kinds of ghost code still in it, making the program untenable and power hungry. New games would come out each year using better platforms, instead of 20 year old platforms, and were less glitchy than MSFS. Did they just get lost in a sea of code and throw in the towel?🚁
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I read something about it not taking advantage of the new multi-core processors.
 
Grampa Don said:
I read something about it not taking advantage of the new multi-core processors.
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That may be. The original platform they stayed with may not have known what to do with multi-core processors. I'd actually wondered about that. Just before they hung it up, they never mentioned anything about making use of the new processors. So when I upgraded to the next generation computer, I didn't bother taking that into account.
 
I thought about giving one of these programs a try. A friend has one and he spends a lot of time on it. He said he has several choices of airports. I will be getting a new computer in the fall. That may be a good time to have an upgraded gaming card added to the computer. What else do I need to have added, anyone?
 
From my experience, you will need a gaming card. Flight Simulator is a power hog. There was never a current computer powerful enough to take advantage of it all, but the the fastest processor chip and as much memory as you can fit into your computer makes the experience much smoother.

You will need a joystick, which most kids could have anyway, but a flight yoke for a few more dollars, is a much more realistic experience than a joy stick for modern aircraft. My flight yoke came with a throttle and various buttons and switches that can be set to activate brakes, frequencies, landing gear, or other things you need to do.

Alternatively you can use the key board to lower and raise landing gear, operate flaps etc, but the key board is not at all realistic, because pilots don't fly planes that way. You can also use the mouse to operate all the controls on the control panels, but mostly I relied on buttons. After that, there's no end to other peripherals you can sink money into.

There's a lot of learning involved too. It took me a year to become competent, and after that, I learned more things during the years that followed. Flight simulator comes with teaching programs that help you learn how to do various tasks involved in flying. It's quite involved and all part of the fun. I learned things on line in forums or in flying with other enthusiasts on line. I did it for years.

You can fly at night, and that's fun flying over large cities or coming in for a landing at a busy airport. It's quite stunning. I don't consider Flight Simulator a game. It's more like a realistic experience.
 
Flight Simulators are very real and the more equipment that is added makes the system more real. As any pilot will agree takeoffs and landings are the most crucial part of the flight given that the flight is normal with no outages or equipment failures.

When I tried using my friend’s system, I did pretty well. When my other friend (not the owner of the sim) who only flew a small plane, but never a large aircraft, he faltered on the two main parts of the flight, especially landing. With landing a real jet, the most crucial part is setting the plane down onto the runway. I have watched crashes on YouTube. For a pilot, it does help reminding us where mistakes are made.

I watched planes touchdown and go into a loss of control. I saw planes flip, nosedive into the runway, leave the runway and go onto the grass on either side, set the plane down too late and run off the runway, etc. When landing the B-767, I liked landing as near to the threshold markings as possible, especially if I was landing on a shorter runway that made it important to have as much runway as possible.
When landing, speed will be one of the important factors that will determine how much runway will be needed.

I would like to see one of the more sophisticated systems. I bet they would be a lot of fun. Are they available to buy with all the levers and pedals? How about autopilot? I once read a story about a man in a plane and the pilot became unresponsive and he took over the controls and had been a long time user on a sim and was able to get the plane down safely.
 
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oldman said:
Flight Simulators are very real and the more equipment that is added makes the system more real. As any pilot will agree takeoffs and landings are the most crucial part of the flight given that the flight is normal with no outages or equipment failures.

When I tried using my friend’s system, I did pretty well. When my other friend (not the owner of the sim) who only flew a small plane, but never a large aircraft, he faltered on the two main parts of the flight, especially landing. With landing a real jet, the most crucial part is setting the plane down onto the runway. I have watched crashes on YouTube. For a pilot, it does help reminding us where mistakes are made.

I watched planes touchdown and go into a loss of control. I saw planes flip, nosedive into the runway, leave the runway and go onto the grass on either side, set the plane down too late and run off the runway, etc. When landing the B-767, I liked landing as near to the threshold markings as possible, especially if I was landing on a shorter runway that made it important to have as much runway as possible.
When landing, speed will be one of the important factors that will determine how much runway will be needed.

I would like to see one of the more sophisticated systems. I bet they would be a lot of fun. Are they available to buy with all the levers and pedals? How about autopilot? I once read a story about a man in a plane and the pilot became unresponsive and he took over the controls and had been a long time user on a sim and was able to get the plane down safely.
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Are landings and takeoffs becoming more automated?
 
Grampa Don said:
Are landings and takeoffs becoming more automated?
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Landings at many airports are helped buy using the ILS or Instrument Landing System, which the airport has installed. The ILS or
Instrument Landing Ststem guides the aircraft to the beginning of the runway. The pilot must still lower the landing gear, operate the flaps and do the breaking and keep the plane in the center of the runway and watch the speed. Once the pilot connects to the ILS, it was my choice to hand fly the plane down to the runway by following the glideslope.

You have probably seen part of the ILS at an airport. It looks like a set of towers that begin high and decline down to the airfield’s runway. The towers are actually antennas and is the glideslope to the beginning of the runway.

Here’s a more detailed explanation of how it works. I didn’t want to do all the typing.

ILS Explained (With Examples) - Pilot Institute

An ILS provides pilots with precise lateral and vertical guidance for an instrument landing by transmitting two radio beams: a localizer for horizontal alignment with the runway and a glideslope for the correct descent path. The aircraft's cockpit instruments display the pilot's position relative to these beams, allowing them to keep the indicators centered and fly a controlled descent to the runway, even in poor visibility.
 
oldman said:
Landings at many airports are helped buy using the ILS or Instrument Landing System, which the airport has installed. The ILS or
Instrument Landing Ststem guides the aircraft to the beginning of the runway. The pilot must still lower the landing gear, operate the flaps and do the breaking and keep the plane in the center of the runway and watch the speed. Once the pilot connects to the ILS, it was my choice to hand fly the plane down to the runway by following the glideslope.

You have probably seen part of the ILS at an airport. It looks like a set of towers that begin high and decline down to the airfield’s runway. The towers are actually antennas and is the glideslope to the beginning of the runway.

Here’s a more detailed explanation of how it works. I didn’t want to do all the typing.

ILS Explained (With Examples) - Pilot Institute

An ILS provides pilots with precise lateral and vertical guidance for an instrument landing by transmitting two radio beams: a localizer for horizontal alignment with the runway and a glideslope for the correct descent path. The aircraft's cockpit instruments display the pilot's position relative to these beams, allowing them to keep the indicators centered and fly a controlled descent to the runway, even in poor visibility.
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Thanks! Yes, I meant real life. It sounds like what they use on aircraft carriers. I think the sims have an option to land the plane for you.
Do you think eventually real aircraft will have that?
 
Tommy said:
Does ILS compensate for crosswinds?
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Yes, unless the wind is strong enough to blow you out of the glide path, at least in the sim. I've wondered how a real plane reacts to wavering from the path. The ILS will take you right down to the ground, but I would still be concentrating on what the plane was doing, and making sure everything in the landing was right. The ILS does not control your speed. That's up to the pilot, and speed is a critical factor in landings.

I talked to a commercial pilot I met on one of his days off, and asked him what real flying was like. He described it as hours and hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. I don't know how much of that was a joke, but just from my sim experience, I understood what he meant.
 

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