Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) - We're really sorry about Microsoft Flight

Yep, no worries there, I’m definitely teaching her the correct way. We’re flying the DA62 at the moment and I’ve forbidden her from using the GPS system. We’re using VORs, NDBs etc only and I’m explaining the differences between them (and the reason the numbers are sadly declining).

I just finished teaching her how to create a plan in Little Nav Map, and the next lesson will be what considerations go into a plan - altitudes, terrain types, METAR, how to choose the correct runway, fuel planning etc.

I had not flight simmed since prior to a lot of the GPS add-ins and also had not actually flown an aircraft since way prior to that. The GPS stuff has been really fun for me to learn. :)

It’s also amazing to think how far things have come just in those years. Hell, 50 years from now, will people actually still move the controls on airliners? Strange to even think about but I feel like aircraft are far beyond cars regarding autopilot and navigation.

Heh. Yes, GPS is definitely the way to go and I totally understand it. I suppose I just have a romantic nostalgia for the slightly earlier days of aviation. I love using only VORs and NDBs to find my way around. GPS takes the fun out of it! Absolutely the safer and better option though.

I think all of us old-school navigation folks still like those ways. The question is how long all of that will be in use. Are new VORs still being built? I guess they have to as long as aircraft use them, even if as a secondary system. God forbid we have something take out GPS satellites.

That’s purdy.

I have no idea whether VORs are being built but I’d be surprised if they are. A few years back the FAA made the decision to cull their numbers and leave just enough for there to be a reasonable fallback in the very scenario you describe.

I’m not sure, that’s an interesting question. I can ask some real-world aviation buddies who might know.

With areas like Austria and Hungary leading the way into free-routing airspace (which is why the victor airways map in Europe looks like this) there’s not going to be much motivation to keep the old systems up any more.

For a real pilot I think there’s every reason to prefer GPS, and given the choice if I had a real world plane I’d definitely rather have it than not. But in the sim I’m not as worried about things like “having the most effective tools possible for saving my life in an emergency”.

Edit: phoned a friend: there are 0 new VORs going in in the US, at least, these days

That’s kind of crazy to think about but the major shift to GPS is older in aircraft/boating than in self-driving cars, etc.

I did end up reading up on all the redundancy built-in to a typical multi-display aircraft GPS. It was much more than I thought. I guess we should all embrace the new. Still, it’s kind of sad thinking the old ways are slowly dying.

So I know for you guys it’s probably something you don’t do anymore, but I’ve been burning the 50% EXP bonus on ships I own and some of the most fun I’ve had has been low tier stuff, like T2-T5. Games with those tend to be a mix of lower exp folks and I have a shot in them, literally.

Three new payware planes out now:

  1. IndiaFoxtEcho’s T-45 Goshawk. If you liked the MB-339, you’re going to love the T-45.

  1. Golden Age Simulations’ Kinner Sportwing. 1932 low-powered monoplane. GAS was an FSX/P3D developer and even though the Sportwing is inexpensive, a very niche aircraft, and flies and sounds really good, the eye-candy crowd is savaging it for the low resolution of its cockpit textures. (Which are admittedly early FSX.) I got it for $16 (discount for Sim-Outhouse members) and I feel it was money well-spent, but the visuals in the cockpit do need some sprucing up. Flight model is really challenging and feels like what you’d expect an underpowered 1930s monoplane to feel like. I’ve died twice.

  1. MScenery FA-18C. From the commentary on the FS forum, the devs bought a 3D model, then apparently cribbed the flight modeling from IndiaFoxtEcho’s MB-339 (they forgot to remove the loading text for that plane, according to a post on the FS forum), and put it in the sim. No instruments work. The landing gear apparently doesn’t retract. The alpha channels on the paint are wrong so the plane has a metallic sheen. It’s literally apparently a 3D model shoved into the sim. Happily, I read about this one before buying, so I only own #1 and #2 on this list. :)

Took the Spitfire for a nice long flight today, was going to follow the Adriatic cost from Tivyat to Corfu, but low clouds and undisciplined fuel use meant I had to make a side trip halfway to refuel. Oopsies.

Took about a million screenshots, but will try to restrain myself to just a few.

Gloomy out of Tivyat:

Looking for some sun:

Beautiful speedster:

It’s amazing how real this game looks sometimes:

Powering away from my pit stop:

Descending into Corfu:

There’s the end of the road:

I love this game.

This is the perpetual tragedy of GAS. They make some really enjoyable, unusual planes that no one else does. But their texturing has not progressed in years and they’re starting to look like hot barf.

Sometimes, though, it’s worth looking at hot barf to have fun in an old bipe.

That could totally be their slogan.

I mean, they did a Fleet Finch, the kind of plane my great uncle trained on in the RCAF in WW2, for Prepar3D. It was so cool to be able to fly that. Aerosoft, Carenado, and Aeroplane Heaven aren’t about to do a Finch.

Fuck those are gorgeous shots. Hit me in the wallet why don’t ya!!

Get it! You know you want to! All the cool kids are doing it! :D

Sim Update 3 is out:

NEW CONTENT

  • FSX legacy liveries available on appropriate planes : Kenmore, Emerald Gold, Global Freightways, Orbit, Pacifica and World Travel
  • Contrails are now displayed on the player’s aircraft (MP and AI are not supported yet)
  • New customization menu in the World map to further adjust the aircraft to perfectly match specific real world aircraft. The changes only affects the next flight and they are not persistent.
    • Empty CG position: We can now have a different empty CG position, just like real world aircraft that all may have slightly different empty balance.
    • Wear: We can now increase the wear of the fuselage to get a slightly higher parasitic drag and simulate older aircraft.
    • Control surface limits: We can now adjust the maximum angle limits for elevator, rudder and aileron control surfaces to simulate the slight difference that may exist between different real aircraft. Check Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) Information for real world aircraft control surface angle limit variation tolerance.

PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY

  • Fixed various crashes across the title
  • Fixed a specific crash while using the manual cache

NAVIGATION

  • Latest AIRAC cycle has been integrated and is now available

PLANES

Autopilot / FMS:

  • Corrected an issue which prevented the VS Wheel from working in FLC mode on the Cessna Citation Longitude
  • Disabled the autopilot which was incorrectly set as available on the JMB VL-3
  • Corrected an issue preventing the use of the VS Wheel to control the pitch on some planes
  • Corrected an issue with the VS Knob not properly responding to commands on the Airbus A320neo
  • Prevented the autopilot from being polluted by incorrect data when exiting slew mode
  • VOR/ADF Feature implemented
  • VOR/ADF - Airbus A320neo FMA Adaptability
  • Fixed General Aviation planes displaying FMS instead of GPS
  • G3000 - Fixed FlightPhase & NavSource display not showing properly
  • Fix roll hold mode behaving like wing leveler
  • Removing auto alignment of localizers with the runway when the heading given by the localizer and the heading of the runway are too different
  • Add TRK/FPA features to Airbus A320neo
  • Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental : LNAV and VNAV does no longer engage automatically when activating the Autopilot.

Displays:

  • Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner - Enhanced HUD Projection
  • Airliners – Speed Trend arrow is now more reactive and accurate
  • Fixed some bearings indicated outside of the 0-360 range in Garmin instruments
  • Fixed a bug in GNS430 and GNS530 where the cursor did no automatically jump to “Activate” in Direct-to page on validation of the entered ident when there is no ident duplicate
  • Added airport ident and ILS runway name in GNS530 when tuning nav radio to a localizer
  • Fixed flight director roll not working when autopilot is not activated
  • Added wind display in G3X Touch in PFD or Splitted mode
  • Added possibility to adjust brightness level in G3X Touch
  • Added possibility to adjust brightness level in G3000
  • Fixed issue in FLT files that lead to flight plan not being loaded in instruments
  • Fixing the display of LDA approaches which were wrongly aligned to the runway at the end of their path

Engines:

  • Fixed Beechcraft Baron G58 incorrectly having automixture enabled
  • Corrected an issue causing the AutoStart sequence of the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental to activate the batteries later than expected
  • Re-enabled the STARTERX SET keys which used to throw an error and toggle the starter. They now correctly set the starter to ON or OFF
  • Corrected an issue causing the starter to affect the plane’s rpm excessively when the piston_power_scalar of the plane is >1
  • Corrected an issue which would prevent the engine from ever shutting down while in unlimited fuel mode.
  • Beechcraft Baron G58 engines adjustment
  • Beechcraft Bonanza G36 engine idle RPM adjustment

Cockpit interaction:

  • Corrected a number of minor XML errors
  • Improved the behavior of knobs that repeatedly send an action to prevent it from sending multiple events at once
  • Corrected the fact that the Avionics switch of the Pipistrel Virus SW121 was off when starting in cruise
  • Enabled the THRT Knob on the ATC Panel of the Airbus A320neo
  • Enabled the option to push the backup baro knob of the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental to set it in Standard Altitude mode
  • Made the copilot’s HUD interactable on the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner
  • Enabled the clock’s buttons on the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner
  • JMB VL-3 Propeller Instrument Fix
  • Fixed Mouse Events not handled correctly on Tactile Screens
  • AS3X Touch - Removed com active ident display
  • Cessna Citation CJ4 - Fixed default VT Speed
  • Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner - Fixed ND interaction Model
  • Fixed the “COM RECEIVE ALL” simvar always returning false on planes without a configured COM 3, leading to problems with some third party content
  • Beechcraft King Air 350i - Baro knobs have been added

Control surface:

  • Corrected Flaperon animation on Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner which was incorrect in the air.
  • Corrected an issue preventing the autobrakes of the Airbus A320neo from enabling on the Fungal mission.
  • Fixed Beechcraft Baron G58 inoperative rudder trim

Lighting:

  • Corrected some emissive elements staying active when they should be off on the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner.
  • Corrected some emissive elements staying active when they should be off on the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental.
  • Corrected some emissive elements staying active when they should be off on the Airbus A320neo.

Checklist:

  • “Mixture: Lean for Altitude” checkpoint can now be auto completed without issues
  • Added a Brake Release checkpoint to the Aviat Pitts Special S2S checklist
  • The Checklist entry “Mixture : Rich below 3000 feet” is now correctly displayed as such instead of “300 feet”
  • Engine should now start without struggle and auto completion of the “Starting procedure” on the Aviat Pitts Special S2S should now work
  • Corrected issue on the Cessna 172 Skyhawk’s checklist which prevented the copilot from correctly executing the “Set Transponder to Alt” step
  • Corrected Issue on piston planes checklists which prevent the steps relating to setting the right mixture from correctly executing
  • Corrected issue on the Beechcraft Baron G58 which caused the copilot to not keep the starter active long enough to reach a combustion when auto-completing the checklist
  • Corrected issue on the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental’s checklist which caused the step to activate all fuel pumps to not properly validate on some airports

Misc:

  • External HUD - Fixed AP Ref speed/altitude not always displayed
  • 3rd View HUD - Fixed HSI not showing approach course if approach is armed
  • 3rd View HUD - Fixed Trim & Flaps display
  • Fixed crash when using a plane with an incorrectly setup FuelSystem.
  • Fuel pressure gauges should now display correct pressure level indications
  • Fix crash when teleporting to approach
  • Fixed external HUD not updating at correct framerate

VIRTUAL REALITY

  • A ‘No binding’ icon is displayed when no control is assigned to a VR action
  • If there are no controls assigned to the camera re-center, then the player cannot switch to VR and they are asked to assign a command to this action
  • Players can now access to the controls menu directly from the VR Mode page
  • HOTAS are now specified in the VR bindings (VR Mode page)
  • VR is now functional when HDR is enabled
  • The panel reset feature is now functional in VR
  • A dark background is displayed when opening a menu in the cockpit
  • When a toolbar menu is opaque, it will now hide properly menus that are positioned behind it
  • Labels are now properly displayed in the VFR map
  • Various fixes on the toolbar and the panels display
  • The mouse cursor is now properly positioned in VR on the Cub Crafter X Cub instrument panel
  • Cockpit handles should not teleport anymore when clicked and dragged
  • It is now possible to switch the throttle to CutOff position in the Daher TBM 930
  • The Flap control in the Cessna 172 Skyhawk G1000 doesn’t return to fully retracted position when interacting with it with the mouse

ATC

  • In case there is an ASOS/ATIS and Center/Departure/Approach agent on the same frequency in the same area, the ATIS/ASOS will not air its message if the player has been handed off to the Center/Departure/Approach agent to prevent the ATC flow from being stuck
  • Add leading zero for runway numbers in ATC communications when necessary
  • Fix ATC agent pronouncing letter by letter airports names during communication with the player
  • Fix ATC agent attributing cruise altitude instead of proper approach altitude when the first waypoint of the approach do not hold altitude information

WEATHER

  • Wind panel UI update for wind and gusts settings

WORLD MAP

  • Properly set runway when setting approach in the World Map
  • Changing behavior of Precision Marking field in Scenery Editor to allow for the marking to be displayed in case of short runways
  • Displaying all waypoints from data on the World Map and changing zoom scores to compensate for the amount of new points
  • Fixing behavior of World Map which was attributing closed runway over opened runway under certain conditions

WORLD

  • Fix outline against clouds and object in game introduced in the previous update
  • Lights should no longer be too dark under mountain shadow with low quality setting
  • Taxi sign lights size has been tweaked

SDK/DEVMODE

Documentation:

  • Revamped documentation website now live on https://docs.flightsimulator.com
  • Added Sample for AirtportServices
  • The left gauge in the MouseAircraft sample has been reworked to provide clearer information.

Scenery Editor:

  • Trimmed leading spaces in package title
  • Fixed a bug that would not update the Scene list when adding an object while having no object selected
  • Fixed an issue to avoid unwanted airport modification
  • Fixed a crash when hiding all TaxiwayPoints of an Airport

Webassembly:

  • Fixed GDI+ StringFormat conversion to NanoVG alignment
  • Fixed potential vulnerabilities in the WASI layer
  • Tweaked our system to avoid hampering module debugging with recurring exceptions.

SimConnect:

  • Load and Save Flight using the FlowFlightManager.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Throttle mapping reversed for the Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog
  • Beechcraft King Air 350i does not change pitch with VS wheel when Autopilot is enabled
  • in rare occasions, Aircraft screens might not initialize correctly upon loading a flight. Please restart the flight to fix the issue.
  • The plane continually loses altitude causing it to crash after loading into the Attitudes & Instruments Training Flight

Hmmm, mousewheel no longer working in Garmin menus in the Longitude, hopefully it’s just a one-off and not a function of the update.

Inching closer to making the Qt3 Cri-Cri aerobatic display team a reality. I believe the developer said he might add coloured smoke when possible in MSFS. 😀

If anyone not yet sold on the Spitfire would like to hear how the engine sounds while revving, I recorded this for a post on Avsim.

Restarting the sim didn’t help, which is worrying. If it persists after a reboot of the PC, then I’ll be properly worried.

Speaking of control niggles, I seem to have done something in the last few days to make the the cockpit view move when I move my mouse to the edge of the screen. Does anyone know what the setting is and how to disable it? It’ s a real pain when doing multi-monitor stuff