August 27, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments
As mentioned back in May, my wife and I are planning to move from Colorado back to my home state of Texas. In about a week, we will visit my family in Central Texas and spend a few days shopping for a new house. It’s been a hectic past few weeks as we’ve already started sorting through 20+ years of stuff in an effort to downsize from a home of almost 5,000 sq. ft. into something about half the size. We’re making great progress, but still have so much to do.
The timeframe for our move is still very much up in the air at the moment. We know we’re going to move and we know where we’re moving to. However, at the present moment in time we don’t have a house in Texas to move into. We certainly want to move this year and would love to be settled into our new home before Thanksgiving. While the calendar tells me that Thanksgiving is still over 3 months away, we still have so much to do and to accomplish before hand.
The planned trip next weeks will hopefully produce fruit in the sense that we’ll find the home of our dreams and then be able to establish a solid plan to get everything from Colorado to Texas. But wow…is this stressful.
There may come a time where my almost weekly blog posts will fall off to perhaps only once or twice a month or perhaps to even nothing for a few months. I’ll keep you all posted on what we learn from our Texas trip. Hopefully that will be good news and we’ve found a house and can truly get this move on the way.
Until next time….
Happy Packing!!!
Jerry
August 22, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments
Fenix released their much anticipated Airbus A319/A321 expansion package companion to their awesome Airbus A320 on Monday and wow….what an impressive package it truly has been. I purchased and downloaded the expansion pack within minutes of the announcement and was quickly flying the Airbus A321 from DFW to DEN which is a real world route I’ve flown on many times and as recent as this past June.
I honestly can’t say enough positive things about this expansion pack. Some in the community have argued against the price which is roughly $52 USD. But how can you honestly complain about getting two high-fidelity, study-level aircraft for this price? I’m sorry but those who say this is overpriced are just out of touch. I spent well over $400 on the same aircraft in P3D from FSLabs. Compared to my total investment in the Fenix at $120. While we may not have the sharklets at this moment in time for the Fenix aircraft, those are coming and they will be free. FSLabs charged $90 each for their A320 and A321 SL models.
Anyway….since my initial purchase of the expansion pack I’ve flown both the A321 and the A319 on multiple flights. I’ve even taken the A319 from DFW down to BOG (SKBO Bogota, Colombia) on a 5+ hour flight. Again, I just can’t say enough about this expansion package or about the awesome developers at Fenix.
Back during my P3D days, the Airbus A319 was my least favorite and I mostly used the A321. But in MSFS, I’m truly loving the sporty feel of the A319 when hand flying it that most likely I will fly the A319 a lot more now.
In my honest opinion, you just can’t go wrong with Fenix. If you’re looking for a study-level, high-fidelity aircraft which rivals the quality and attention to detail of PMDG, Fenix is the way to go. Period!
My time will be somewhat short with being able to get more flights in with the Fenix as my wife and I will be soon traveling to Texas to look at houses. You’ll read more about this next week.
This truly has been an awesome summer of new aircraft releases and hopefully soon we’ll have the Boeing 737 Max from PMDG and of course the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is just around the corner. With all the packing and planning I’ve been doing for the upcoming move to Texas, the summer has flown by.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
August 18, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments
Today, 4 years ago was the official release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and what exciting times we live in as a result. While it took me almost two years to fully embrace and move over to MSFS 2020 as my primary sim, I knew on day one that what we were witnessing with MSFS 2020 was truly going to be the best in-class home flight simulator and trust me, it’s only going to get better and better and even better.
My delay in adopting MSFS 2020 as my main sim of choice was the lack of detailed, complex, high-fidelity airliners. This gap was first filled by the Fenix A320 and quickly followed by the PMDG 737. Once I had both of these airliners in my virtual fleet, I uninstalled Prepar3D and never looked back. If all goes well, we’ll all have the opportunity to add two more aircraft to our virtual hangars with the release of the Fenix A319/A321 expansion pack. Like I said, exciting times…..very exciting times.
What will your first flight be in the new Fenix expansion? For me, most likely it will depend on where my aircraft happens to be in the virtual world. But I’m thinking DFW – DEN in the A321.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
August 13, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments
Over the past few days there have been some updated information flowing out of Microsoft/Asobo regarding the upcoming release of the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. I think from the very first time we began hearing about MSFS 2024, we knew it was going to be BIG both in sheer size but also in functionality. While many in the flight sim community grumbled at the news and didn’t/couldn’t understand why a new sim was needed, Microsoft/Asobo explained the reasons and chief among them was simply that MSFS 2020 had pretty much reached its full potential as a flight simulation platform. With some of this recent new information which has surfaced I have a few thoughts I want to share with you. Let’s Go!
Client Install Size
One of the the areas of concern for me with regards to the launch of MSFS 2024 was going to be whether or not I would have enough real estate on my current system to run both MSFS 2020 and 2024 at the same time. While I’m certainly not planning to keep both versions installed on my system in perpetually, I know there may be some limitations with regards to 3rd party add-ons for the first few weeks/months after the initial release of MSFS 2024. Meaning, I’m not expecting 100% of all my currently purchased/installed 3rd party add-ons to work on day one. And like many of you, I plan to purchase MSFS 2024 on day one and I want to at the very least be able to fly around in a default GA aircraft and look around.
What we’ve learned in recent weeks is that MSFS 2024 will be installed as a “thin client” whereby only the core essentials will be installed on your PC and vast majority will be streamed down via your web connection as and when that content is needed. This concept is both exciting and concerning for me as a user. In a perfect world it’s a great concept. This means a much smaller install instance on our PC’s and I would assume most major updates will occur in the cloud versus the need to download gigs upon gigs of updates as time goes by. But…..
Data Streaming Performance
Over the past four years of owning/using MSFS 2020 there have been many times where their servers have struggled and during these events the use of MSFS 2020 has been a struggle to run. The impact to the users has either been poor performance with the updates for photogrammetry scenery or even worse not being able to launch the sim at all. This is a huge concern with MSFS 2024, but I’m confident Microsoft/Asobo will do what is needed to ensure the best reliability available.
Sim versus Game
Back when I first started in virtual aviation on the Commodore 64 in the early 80’s and certainly due to the lack of immersion, I considered it more of a game versus the true simulation we have today. But with all the bells and whistles which has been mentioned which MSFS 2024 will bring, is it taking a step back to being a game versus a sim? The short answer to that question I believe is NO! However, it will boil down to the individual user to make the decision on just how to use MSFS 2024. It appears MSFS 2024 will allow us to actually walk around in the virtual world. Microsoft have even stated that should one have the desire, they will be able to hike along their favorite trails. Now while I don’t need this level of maneuverability (OK sure, I’ll try it once) what would be really cool is to be able to spawn into a parking lot, walk through a gate of a small GA airfield or even better, spawn into a terminal and walk down a jet bridge to an awaiting airliner. But in my opinion, these are all things that truly add to the immersion and as a result makes it more of a simulator than just a game.
In Summary
I’m really excited for the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and it will be a day one purchase for me. While the areas of concern I’ve mentioned in this blog post are concerning, I truly believe Microsoft and Asobo will do what’s needed to ensure an optimum experience for all of us. I’d like to know your thoughts on MSFS 2024. Are you planning to purchase? Or will you take a wait and see position first?
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
August 6, 2024 / admin / 1 Comment
Hello and thank you for returning to yet another flight simulator blog post. A few weeks ago I discussed the topic around whether the Flight Sim Virtual Airline concept was still relevant in today’s virtual aviation world. The short answer to that question is absolutely YES! If you haven’t already, please read that article. In that article, (have you read it yet?) I did mention some competition or should I say some an alternative to the VA world that might interest some readers. Today I will discuss a few options for you to explore. Most are payware add-ons, but one that I’m enjoying is freeware with additional payware options you can add if you choose. Let’s break these down.
A Pilot’s Life – Chapter 2
A Pilot’s Life – Chapter 2 from SimBitWorld simulates the career of a commercial airline pilot. Don’t let the reference of “Chapter 2” lead you to wondering about chapter 1. Essentially chapter 2 is just the second version of this wonderful career mode simulator. A Pilot’s Life – Chapter 2 is available for approx. $32.00 USD. What I like about this career simulator is it starts you off as a Jr. First Officer and provides you enough starting cash ($2,000) to get you started. Once you install the application you will need to apply for a job at one of many available airlines. The starting cash will allow you to purchase the required aircraft equipment license which will be needed to fly that particular aircraft type. For example, I initially purchased a license for the Boeing 737 family of aircraft, then sought out airlines that mostly operated that equipment type. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to be hired by one of the BIG airlines like American, United, British Airways etc. as your first starting job. You’ll need to find one of the lower ranking airlines to fly for and then earn your XP points to better qualify for the bigger airlines. After a period of time and as you build up your XP and rank up, you can apply for larger airlines. A Pilot’s Life – Chapter 2 has an extensive manual which will help explain all the details you’ll need to know. You can preview it here. A Pilot’s Life – Chapter 2 is compatible with MSFS, P3D, XPlane and FSX. A Pilot’s Life – Chapter 2 is not available for the XBox platform.
The Skypark
The Skypark by //42 is another payware career simulator option which I often use. The Skypark is available for $30.00 and while it’s still classified as an early access product, it’s robust in the features it offers and is being constantly developed. The Skypark differs from the previously mentioned A Pilot’s Life – Chapter 2 in the sense that you are a freelance, contract pilot and pickup various jobs to fly. The Skypark gives you the freedom to fly what you want, to almost anywhere you might want to fly. The Skypark combines characters, contract jobs, tours and adventures for pilots to use their custom aircraft and scenery collections to reignite their passion for flight. The Skypark is exclusively available for Microsoft Flight Simulator including both PC and XBox platforms.
Air Hauler 2
Air Hauler 2 is unique as it is geared more towards operating your own freight and/or passenger airline company. Air Hauler 2 is more expensive than the previously mentioned add-ons at $50.00 USD and in my opinion doesn’t offer as many bells and whistles as other career simulation add-ons. The user interface is more of a spreadsheet on steroids than a fancy, highly polished UI that others may have. But I’ve used Air Hauler 2 and enjoyed my time while doing so. With Air Hauler 2, I really only use it in the role of an airline manager and don’t fly any of the routes myself. Over time I’ve built up a fairly substantial freight operation and at the present have over 50 pilots operating about 25 aircraft flying routes around the world. I started out leasing aircraft, but have generated enough revenue to purchase the majority outright. While Air Hauler 2 is available for all flight sim platforms, each platform will require it’s own version to be purchased separately.
NeoFly
NeoFly is the new kid on the block in terms to the previously mentioned add-ons. NeoFly is also 100% freeware, but does have payware options that can be added to enhance your experience. It functions similar to Air Hauler 2, in the sense that you can play it as a single pilot or you can build an airline company as you build XP. The user interface is very polished and detailed as you would expect from a modern application. Unlike The Skypark, NeoFly does force you to start off small and work your way up building XP and rank. In the career mode option you are limited to flying only the specific aircraft you purchase or lease. I’m running a small company of just one additional pilot and myself. My hired pilot flies the Cessna 152 and I’m flying the Carenado Mooney. My company is based out of the Centennial Airport KAPA very near my real world house.
Well that’s about all I know about the subject of Career Mode Add-ons for MSFS. Depending on your style of flying, I’m sure one or more will meet all your needs.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
