So I yielded to temptation and took advantage of the December sale at PC Aviator. Bought the Carenado Beech A36 and B33 Bonanzas to go with the V35 I already have, Golden Age Simulations' new Davis D-1, and the Flysimware Cessna 120. Pretty happy with them all.
So I yielded to temptation and took advantage of the December sale at PC Aviator. Bought the Carenado Beech A36 and B33 Bonanzas to go with the V35 I already have, Golden Age Simulations' new Davis D-1, and the Flysimware Cessna 120. Pretty happy with them all.
I'd get it. It's super fun to plink around with. I inaugurated it by doing a flight from Miami to Sint Maarten, and back. Had to make a fuel stop each way, but it sure was fun.
But, that GTX looks stunning.... I'd hold off till that is released and compare the two..
I tried their 787 but all I got was the cessna sounds (even with their sound package) and the flight model sucked terribly, even with max trim it was un-flyable. CG was near 5%.
I tried their 787 but all I got was the cessna sounds (even with their sound package) and the flight model sucked terribly, even with max trim it was un-flyable. CG was near 5%.
Their 737-MAX8 isn't as bad as the 787 from the looks of it but the trim is something I can agree on. It's not impossible but goddamn the amount of trim you need just to get off the ground is too high.
Well due to the holidays the check ride email has been a little late, but I've just received it and oh boy.... This one looks like I'll have to actually practice for it.
Well due to the holidays the check ride email has been a little late, but I've just received it and oh boy.... This one looks like I'll have to actually practice for it.
Assuming that no one from DVA is on these forums, I'll spill my beans...
Here is the email:
For promotion into the B747-400 program, you have been assigned an ACARS Check Ride. Please fly a flight logged using Delta Virtual Airlines's ACARS utility, as described below: --Updated Dec. 11th 2015— Please read this complete check ride description CAREFULLY. Close compliance is important. Your check ride has very specific details that must be fully complied with. ******** First and foremost, it is DVA policy that check rides are not to be discussed with anyone other than the Chief Pilot or Assistant Chief Pilot. All communication must be via email or if mutually agreed, via private chat. Check rides must never be discussed in any public forum, especially the Water Cooler or on ACARS chat. Violation of this policy can result in disciplinary action. ******** Welcome to the B747-400 program. Whether you are seeking a transfer to the program or simply obtaining additional rating, you will find this check ride both challenging and rewarding once successfully completed. Since this is a Stage 5 program, you will be required to demonstrate flight planning skills, attention to detail, proper aircraft handling and proper flight management. The flight must be flown OFFLINE and use of DVA ACARS to record and report the flight is mandatory. You must select the check box in ACARS to indicate that this is a check ride. Failure to do so will result in you having to fly the check ride again. You are highly encouraged to fly this check ride for practice and can make as many practice flights as needed prior to flying this check ride for record. Fly your practice flights without using ACARS please as you are not yet rated for this aircraft, or check the "This is a Training Flight" box on ACARS that will generate a CSV text and Google Earth depiction of the flight without submitting a flight report. You have 14 days from the day of assignment to fly this check ride. Failure to fly the check ride within 14 days may result in your check ride request being deleted without further warning. Use of any add-on programs such as ActiveSKY, REX, Radar Contact, FSPassengers, FSBuild, FS Navigator, ServInfo, Squawkbox, vasFMC, FS2Crew etc. during your check ride is strictly prohibited. Use of any add-on program may result in having to redo the check ride. DO NOT USE ANY ATC at all including the built in FS ATC. Be sure to allot sufficient time to this task. The flight itself takes about 1.5 hours to complete. Time acceleration is not permitted - Check Ride Details All charts are available in the DVA chart library found in the DVA Pilot Center. Model: DVA Fleet B744, PMDG B744 or iFly 747v2 only - Specify which you used in ACARS pilot comments section Departure Airport: – Salt Lake City International Airport (KSLC) – RWY34L. Destination Airport: Las Vegas International Airport (KLAS) – RW25L. Set the aircraft zero fuel weight to 525,000 pounds Arrive at KLAS with at least 30,000 pounds but not more than 50,000 pounds. Flight will be DVH 747 Leg 1 in ACARS Time - Dawn Weather: Set global FS weather to: Cloud base layer 2500 MSL (this is below MSL of KSLC but you should have adequate ½ mile visibility for the departure) Cloud height 10,000 MSL Cloud coverage over cast Visibility 1/2 mile Visibility Base 0 Visibility Tops 10,000 MSL Wind 280 degrees at 10 knots, no gusts Wind base 0, tops 6,500 MSL Set the Rate of Change slider to the full left position for a change rate of None - Route of Flight: The following is your clearance obtained by KSLC Clearance Delivery "Delta 747 Heavy is cleared to the Las Vegas International airport via the EDETH3 RNAV departure from RW34L, MLF transition. Climb via the departure procedure, expect FL300 10 minutes after departure. Departure 122.8 (unicom), Squawk 2200." Your clearance over MLF is as follows: "Delta 747 Heavy descend via the GRNPA1.MLF arrival to cross FRAWG at and maintain 8,000 and 210 knots." Since no ATC is controlling the arrival, here is the arrival clearance: "Delta 747 Heavy, after FRAWG turn left heading 230 direct SHAND when able, maintain 5,000 until established on the LOC, cleared ILS RW25L" Enter the route in ACARS exactly as shown here: SAPEE BUCCO SCANT HIDUT TOOLE MUSAW TRILA EDETH SEVYR MLF KSINO LUXOR GRNPA DUBLX FRAWG SHAND RELIN Use of SID/STAR drop-down boxes in ACARS may result in failure of the check-ride. Only enter route in the "Route" box of ACARS as shown above. - Departure Instructions: NOTE: Autopilot cannot be used until you have passed the HIDUT intersection on the EDETH3 DP. Auto throttle is allowed at all times. Use of the de-rated thrust TO2 and CLB2 thrust setting is mandatory. Start the flight from a gate of your choice at KSLC. Taxi from the gate to runway 34L for departure. Fly the DP as published. Do not exceed a 4000 FPM climb. Any descent rate during the departure from the runway to cruise altitude is an automatic unsatisfactory condition. - Arrival Procedure: Follow the route specified. Auto pilot must be turned off prior to the FRAWG intersection on the GRNPA1 STAR. Auto throttle is allowed at all times. You must be configured to land and no more than Vref +10 by the FAF. -Approach: ILS RWY 25L. Prior to beginning the final approach segment, maintain the desired altitude ±100 feet, the desired airspeed within ±10 knots, the desired heading within ±5°; and accurately track radials, courses, and bearings. Maintain a stabilized final approach (no significant power/airspeed/heading deviations) from the final approach fix (RELIN) to DA/DH, and maintain the desired airspeed within ±5 knots. If you feel you must execute a missed approach, you must fly the missed approach exactly as published to BOULDER CITY (BLD) VORTAC. Execute at least two turns in holding then transition back to the ILS by proceeding directly EAST off the VOR for at least five (5) miles. Vector yourself back to LARRE and follow the glideslope as published. Execute the ILS as published from LARRE. You must: Adhere to airspeed and crossing restrictions and establish, where appropriate, a rate of descent consistent with the airplane operating characteristics and safety. Maintain the appropriate airspeed/V-speed within ±10 knots, heading ±10°; Land within the first 3000 feet of the runway No greater descent rate on landing than -450 FPM After landing, taxi to a gate of your choice and shut down. -General Information Alternate is pilots discretion. ACARS must be used from before push back from the gate to after engine shutdown at the gate. PIREP must be filed using ACARS. Be sure to check the Check Ride box. - General Evaluation criteria: The following general information is provided to help you understand what is expected during the checkride and forms the basis for our evaluation of your performance. -Crossing Altitudes: Specified altitude plus or minus 300' -Speeds: Specified speed +/- 10 KIAS -Headings: Specified heading +/- 10 degrees -Climb, descent and landing rates, aircraft weights to include fuel, taxi speeds and landing distances are absolutes with no variation accepted. A NOTE FROM THE 747 STAFF: We highly recommend you fly a practice flight or two before doing the real thing. This will get you used to the flight and both airports and will add to your chances of success. If you wish to record the flight for your review, check the Training Flight option in ACARS. Then go to your filed flight report, click on the boxes to show all your flight data and look at it. If you see red it's not a good indication and could result in you having to fly it again. We are not looking for perfection... but you must show mastery of the airplane. Make no mistake, this checkride is difficult and is graded at a real world airline transport pilot level as much as possible within the constraints of MSFS. Deviations must be corrected promptly and with appropriate action. ATP Practical Test Standards state satisfactory performance is achieved by demonstrating "mastery of the aircraft by performing each task successfully. (14 CFR section 61.43(a)(2))." In our evaluations repeated violations of things like flying above 250 KIAS below 10,000 MSL may show "doubt" as well as missing crossing altitude and speed restrictions.
But in simple terms of what I've wrote down, I need to go from KSLC to KLAS via EDETH3.MLF RNAV, and GRNPA1.MLF RNAV, I can't use the AP until HIDUT intersection on the EDETH3 SID, which is not that bad actually.
How they track such flights? Well, our airline, including multiple others out there track everything via an ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) program, which we input our flight details, such as flight number, leg number, online/offline, departure, arrival, alternate, departure and arrival SIDS/STARS, cruise altitude, pax on board, aircraft type, route, and comments.
Generally, we get our briefing materials from either Simbrief, PFPX, or our own website, which is the flight info, route info, fuel and weight info, weather info, and NOTAMS (Notice To Airmen). All of this is then digested, and made sense of. After we review such info, we plan our flight in ACARS, entering all the data necessary. Then we start up our flight, start the ACARS program to record, prep the aircraft and fly the flight. There is also a chat box where we can talk to other pilots online, similar how an actual ACARS program works in reality. Once we land, arrive at the gate, and shut down, we select end flight, file PIREP (Pilot Report) and that gets emailed to either the Chief Captain, or Assistant Chief Captain which they then review and either pass or fail the flight.
The flight records data via an excel spreadsheet, which logs however often you may want. On check rides however, it's once every 5-10 seconds (I leave it there for default flights just to see my data later on). The data consists of airspeed, altitude, bank angle, weight info, fuel info, G-loads, vertical speed, and so much more. Anything outside of our aircraft profile gets flagged as a red dot on our reports on a satellite map that the data is read from, showing the chief captains our faults.
Here in the case of the 747 check ride, our highest stage (stage 5), we have some pretty cool guys as chief and assistant chief captains, so they give us what they give their pilots at Delta (irl).
I attempted the flight earlier last night, and would've failed horribly if I did that for the real deal. Approach visibility was less than 1/2 mile, and I didn't see the runway until halfway over it.. I'll have to check my navigation database for Las Vegas and see if anything is wrong.
You're welcomed to join us at Deltava.org, or our affiliate AFVA.org (air france virtual). We're the two largest online va's, so when you're stuck on something, we tend to know what needs done. My advice for joining us is to study anything we have in our document library for the entry examination, otherwise you could end up in stage 1 like I did, flying CRJs instead of the 757 (like I wanted to) in stage 3. The placement exam determines everything...
This was the flight the check ride was done on. If you look closely at the bottom of the picture at the clouds, you can see they appear to be sitting on the ground. Well, they are. Weather conditions (posted above) were base at 2,500... and the altitude between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas? Well, lets just say it never drops under 3,000. And... There's the fact that visibility was set to 1/2 mile.
My approach was good this time, (well, duh, I mean I only made a 92/100) following the diamond all the way down. Once I saw the runway I was at 300 feet radio altitude, so I ditched the avionics and tried to look at where I wanted to set her down at.
Aside from the AP not actually being set on when I started turning of the lights at 10,000 feet and climbing past 4,000 fpm, it was good. Unless I switch to P3d soon (not sure really when) I don't think I'll be buying a 777, as this one does the routes just fine I want to do.
FSX Steam Edition is for sale right now for the lowest price they offer, $4.99. Normally this only comes during the holidays so we won't see it again for long. Lasts until Jan 4.
I have nothing against them, but I can see why though.
I have the boxed edition of FSX, and couldn't run that at all without it crashing. I'd like to see if this truly does have any frame rate increase though..
I have nothing against them, but I can see why though.
I have the boxed edition of FSX, and couldn't run that at all without it crashing. I'd like to see if this truly does have any frame rate increase though..
That's odd, my setup is pretty stable. Then again, outside of aircraft, I'm not running a whole lot of add-ons. That's not to say it never crashes, of course.
I'm seriously considering springing for P3D, but reinstalling the ton of stuff I have is rather a daunting prospect.
