In preparation for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (MSFS2020), it is time to bid farewell to P3Dv4.5 and all the associated add-ons. While my P3Dv5 instance is still awaiting the availability of the PMDG Boeing 777, I have enough add-ons in v5 to keep me fully entertained until such time as the Triple Seven can be installed.
P3Dv4.5 Was Amazing
I joined the P3D bandwagon when P3Dv2 arrived on the scene and in my opinion, while v5 is finally proving to be stable….P3Dv4.5 was just simply rock solid. Almost from day one, the much anticipated 64 bit release showed us exactly what a flight simulator should be and remained almost trouble free for just over three years. However, between the P3Dv4.5 install and all the associated add-ons adding up to over 275GB of SSD space, I need to remove it to make room for the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 which is planned to release in just a few days from now (18 August).
A Bit of a Three Ring Circus
My current gaming machine was designed and built with the future in mind. At just over two years old now, at the time of the build I installed a 1 TB M.2 SSD as the main drive. I moved over a few older 500GB SSD drives along with a 500 GB SATA drive for video work. To maximize the performance of P3Dv4, it was installed on the 1 TB M.2 SSD along side the Windows OS. I have one 500 GB SSD dedicated to Steam content such as Farming Simulator, Truck Simulators etc. and use the remaining SSD’s for backup and non-gaming content.
When I installed P3Dv5, I installed it onto one of the SSD drives and it’s performing just fine. But I believe I’ll want MSFS2020 to go onto the 1 TB M.2 SSD for maximum performance. So to make this happen, unfortunately I must sunset P3Dv4.5.
It really isn’t that big of a deal as I’ve been using P3Dv5 exclusively now for over a month. Now that I have P3Dv5 dialed in, the performance is better than what I had been experiencing with 4.5 so now is just a good time to say goodbye.
MSFS2020 Requirements
According to the published minimum requirements of MSFS2020 as it relates to available disk space, I will need a minimum of 150GB. Clearing out P3Dv4.5 and all its associated add-ons along with doing some additional cleanup, I will easily have over 500GB of free space on my main 1 TB M.2 drive. Certainly more than enough. At least for now.
Looking Forward, Never Backward
While a lot of flight simmers may plan to ditch Prepar3D and X-Plane on day one of the MSFS2020 release, as I’ve stated before…Prepar3D v5 will remain my main simulator for simulating jetliner flights. However, between home DIY projects and other responsibilities I do anticipate flying in MSFS2020 with any of the default GA aircraft as I explore the world flying low and slow. My first flights most likely will be as follows. Depart KAPA and fly over my house and the greater Denver area. Flight number two will probably have me depart EBAW (Antwerp, Belgium) and fly over the area where my in-laws lived along with the Antwerp area. Then who knows? Most likely I’ll hop around between Alaska, perhaps fly around Innsbruk Austria…really the complete world is my option.
With the upcoming release of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2020, many might be wondering what the future holds for the 3rd party add-on market. In today’s FSX/Prepar3d and even X-Plane environments we must purchase, download and install dozens and dozens and sometimes even dozens more of extra add-ons to create an “As Real As It Gets” experience in our favorite simulator. While some of the add-on content is freeware for X-Plane users, the vast majority of quality add-ons for FSX/P3D is payware. All these extra components (while truly awesome) often present challenges in terms of compatibility and reliability of the base sim. With MSFS2020, will we still need all this extra stuff? The short answer is yes and no.
No Longer Needed
While total immersion has always been my goal with flight sim, the eye-candy ranks right up there on my list of importance. After all, much of what we perceive to be a full immersive experience comes to us through what we see. Regardless of whether you fly low and slow or high and fast, the ground textures including roads, highways, rivers, lakes and railroads all add to the experience. In the world of FSX/P3D all this level of detail has generally been provided through various add-ons from Orbx including the Global Base Pack, Global Vector, Global Trees, Global TerraFlora, Global Buildings and different OpenLC products for each region of the world. Thankfully, right out of the box Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has us covered with their highly accurate and stunning auto-gen provided by real world satellite imagery. However, don’t count Orbx out as there will be plenty of opportunity for them to continue to develop their awesome scenery add-ons specifically the smaller airports and perhaps some of the larger ones like KSAN (as an example).
Another example of add-ons which I believe will be obsolete in MSFS2020 is all the weather, cloud and sky texture add-ons which generally come to us via Hi-Fi (ActiveSky) and REX. Out of the box, the MSFS2020 weather engine along with the way sky and cloud textures are displayed appear to be as real as it gets. Of course the development teams at Microsoft has completely rewritten the book on how aircraft will experience changing weather conditions to a level not even available to us now with these 3rd party add-ons.
Finally I believe all these add-on shader type products such as EnvShade, PTA and Tomatoshade will also be unnecessary in MSFS2020. I truly believe that out of the box the visuals of everything including ground textures, aircraft textures, sky textures..etc. are all absolutely beautiful out of the box. This is not to say that any of these shader programs won’t make it to MSFS2020…I just don’t think they will be necessary. At least not necessary for my setup.
Needs Going Forward
Of course at the very top of the list will be all the wonderful add-on aircraft (study level and some not so much) from devs such as PMDG, FSLabs, A2A, QualityWings, Aerosoft and Carenado just to name a few. The limited information I’ve seen on the default Airbus A320 tells me that while this will be a fun aircraft to fly in the short-term, it’s not going to tick all the boxes for the seasoned flight simmer. At the time of this writing, only PMDG (to my knowledge) has provided any sort of timeline and that is looking like late Q1 2021. So we could be talking 6+ months before we see any study level aircraft in MSFS2020.
While many of the top add-on airport developers have posted pictures and details about their plans to release their airport add-ons for MSFS2020, these too will likely not be ready for release until several months after the release of the new sim. Of course, of the enhanced airports Microsoft is including in the release, it’s unclear to me how these would differ in quality from what the 3rd party developers will provide.
Expected Add-on Costs
I don’t want to speculate on exactly what the pricing will be for any 3rd party add-ons other than to say that I highly doubt we can expect to see any discounts from previous FSX/P3D purchases and certainly no free upgrades. While the FSX to P3D jump has been a similar platform and some add-ons purchased for FSX have received 100% free updates all the way to P3Dv5, MSFS2020 is a completely different platform and I believe all add-ons will also be practically brand new versions. In other words, I don’t believe these will be simple port overs from previous versions.
Additional Thoughts on Pricing
When P3D was first released, PMDG was the first to increase their pricing. At the time the reasons provided by PMDG was due to licensing and the simple fact that Prepar3D was not licensed for entertainment purposes like FSX had been. Here’s an old forum post discussing this (Jan. 2015). Other add-on developers like FSLabs also introduced their products at a premium price due to the P3D EULA. As Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 once again is marketed as a “for entertainment purposes” product, can we expect add-on pricing to drop? Well….your guess is as good as mine at this point in time. But I would guess if there is any price change towards a new EULA the change will be minimal.
My Plan
As I’ve stated before, while I will most likely purchase Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 near day one and I will spend some time flying and looking around, I don’t plan to make the move to the new platform until my favorite study level aircraft are available. As I’m still currently unemployed (laid off in July after 22 years), I will also have to be frugal in my spending practices as I go along. Most likely I will focus my attention first on aircraft and just make do with the airports that come with MSFS2020. Then as time goes along and hopefully my job status will resolve itself in time, I can then purchase more things. But these COVID-19 times are difficult for many and the priorities of my family must come first before anything else.
I wanted to briefly draw your attention to a couple of YouTube videos which have recently been released by Chewwy94 (AKA Matt) who in my opinion is one of the best Flight Sim YouTube/Twitch content creators. I’ve been watching and following Matt for several years. His content is both educational and entertaining.
Matt recently released two new videos showcasing the default Airbus A320 which will be one of the featured aircraft in the brand new flight simulator from Microsoft. Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS2020) releases on 18 August and I believe will become the new standard for flight simulation.
While it may be a few months before I fully embrace MSFS2020 as my go-to sim (due to the delayed release of study level aircraft), I fully believe MSFS2020 will introduce many new individuals to the wonderful world of flight simulation. Being new once myself, (albeit a very long time ago) I cut my teeth on default aircraft and I firmly believe that is the best way to first grasp the art of flight simulation. Once one masters the basics, then there is plenty of time to learn more advanced aircraft.
Anyway….back on point!
The two videos I would like to showcase discuss the new flight planning features in MSFS2020 as well as a full flight from Manchester to London Heathrow in the default Airbus A320. As Chewwy94 clearly points out in the flight video, the Airbus A320 still has a few opportunities (aka bugs) to be worked out and I’m sure the team at Microsoft are burning the midnight oil to get everything sorted.
Thanks Matt for taking the time to showcase MSFS2020 on your channel and for all your efforts in helping so many (myself included) to get the most from this wonderful hobby. You truly are a legend!
Please take the time to check out the Chewwy94 YouTube and Twitch channels. His content is worthy of a Subscribe, Like, Follow etc. etc. etc.
Some really great news hit the flight simulation news wires today regarding PMDG and the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (MSFS2020). While it’s great news because obviously MSFS2020 is believed to become the next generation flight simulator which I discussed earlier this week. Unfortunately the news set an expectation which I fully expected, the first PMDG aircraft scheduled to be released for MSFS2020 won’t be available until late Q1 2021. This means MSFS2020 could be some 5-6 months old before we have our first study level aircraft available to fly in the new sim.
Naturally, I didn’t believe we would have anything from PDMG, FSLabs or even Aerosoft on day one. I also didn’t even think we’d see anything in the first 60 days. But I do believe good things come to those who wait and I certainly believe the PMDG 737 NG will be a thing of beauty in MSFS2020. Actually, I encourage you to read this article posted on FSElite and view the first images we’re seeing of the PMDG 737NG in MSFS2020. Seeing is certainly believing. Just WOW!
Where’s the Triple Seven?
For me and my Prepar3d v5 setup, the main aircraft I’m missing from my virtual hangar to have an almost complete fleet is the PMDG Boeing 777. My fleet of payware, study-level aircraft is near complete with the PMDG 737 NGXu, 747 QotSII, the FSLabs A319/A320/A321, Aerosoft’s A318/A319/A320/A321, QualityWings 787 Dreamliner. I’m just waiting for the 777 and once that is installed…then my P3Dv5 fleet will be complete.
In the above mentioned article from FSElite, PMDG does provide a status but that status is that progress on the 777 is progressing slowly. Could we have it in the next 30 days? Well, your guess is as good as mine. But of course, when it is ready…PMDG will release it and it will be near perfect. I certainly can’t wait.
Interested in Flight Sim?
If you currently don’t own a flight sim product and are really interested in getting started. My advice to you is to start with the new Microsoft Flight Simulator when it releases on 18 August. Enjoy and learn with the default aircraft starting with the smaller general aviation aircraft and work your way up to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 747. I know, I know…..the urge to install MSFS2020 and take the 747 out for a spin will be difficult. However, the time you spend in these default aircraft will pay off when the study level aircraft models begin to release.
Yes, the default models are basic. But for those of us who have been in this hobby for as long as I have, that’s all we had back in the day was default aircraft that came packaged with whatever version of Microsoft Flight Simulator we used.
As I pointed out earlier in the week, please check out my tutorials section. While I don’t like to “toot my own horn”, I’ll just say that for a beginner…the articles are written to be easily understood and will give you a good level of understanding.
Oh Boy! Are you ready for the onslaught of brand new pilots to flood onto the VATSIM network? You better be. The old saying of “If you build it, they will come” will prove to ring true in just a few weeks. If you are new to flight sim and the world of VATSIM, please take a look through some of my tutorials I’ve written. They might help you. I even have a Basics of VATSIM tutorial which will give you an overview of what you need to do and know before your first online flight.
A Prediction
With the upcoming release of the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (MSFS2020) scheduled for 18 August 2020, the growth of our flight simulation hobby (and that of VATSIM) will be nothing like we’ve seen since the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) way back in 2006. No other flight simulator (including P3D or X-Plane) has experienced the hype like MSFS2020 has had over the past 13 months since the news broke from the E3 Conference in June 2019.
The Long and Winding Road
It’s true! It’s been a long and winding road awaiting the release of what will become the next generation flight simulator. While Lockheed Martin has truly made great advancements on the old ESP/FSX platform and P3Dv5 is truly the best we’ve seen thus far, MSFS2020 will eventually blow away everything we’ve come to know and love about FSX/P3D. I also believe many X-Plane users will also gravitate to MSFS2020 in time. While the year 2020 has been a difficult year with COVID-19, 18 August 2020 will be a truly remarkable day for all flight sim enthusiasts. But 18 August is only day one in this journey.
Setting Expectations
While I’ve not been involved in any of the alpha/beta tests of MSFS2020, history has taught us the road to the future is first often filled with bumps and holes. With every new release, there will be a period of growing pains which we must all endure for the greater good. Take for example the recent release of P3Dv5. Released on 14 April 2020, it’s only now just become stable enough to fully replace the previous P3Dv4.5 version. Yet, we’re still awaiting some aircraft and scenery to be made compatible with v5.
Most likely the initial release of the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 will have some opportunities and challenges. While VATSIM has announced compatibility on day one, there is uncertainty as to when third-party developers like PMDG, FSLabs, etc. will make available their study level aircraft models for the new sim. Another unknown at this time (specifically with VATSIM functionality) is will FLAi model matching be available day one. What is model matching? Well in simple terms, if you are flying commercial jets and you want to see the exact airplanes, exact liveries of the other pilots…this is where model matching comes in. Model matching has evolved over the years and is quite possibly the best it’s been with FLAi. For seasoned VATSIM flyers, this functionality will be important. I want to see other American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest etc. while connected to VATSIM just as I do today.
New to VATSIM
If you are brand new to the world of VATSIM (and perhaps even to flight simulation) then Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (out of the box) will be a great opportunity to earn your wings. Unlike P3D which does not offer any default jetliners, MSFS2020 will offer both the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 747-8. While these default aircraft are not appealing to most who are seasoned veterans of the hobby, they are a great for beginner pilots. But then again, if you truly are new to flight sim at the release of MSFS2020, I highly suggest you begin with default Cessna 152 or 172 and delay your entry to the world of VATSIM until such time as you at the very least understand some of the basics of flight. Even taking time to understand how the default Airbus A320 or Boeing 747-8 functions offline will make your transition to VATSIM a much, much better experience. Not only for yourself, but also for others around you.
Not A Game
VATSIM and Flight Simulation IS NOT A GAME! At any given time you’ll find hundreds (if not a thousand or more) taking to the virtual skies to simulate the amazing world of aviation. Regardless if you are flying a Cessna 172 in VFR conditions or the Queen of the Skies, Boeing 747 in IFR conditions or controlling in any of the levels that make up Air Traffic Control (ATC), we’re all doing our very best to simulate real world operations. As I mentioned earlier in this writing, please also take time to read the Basics of VATSIM and other tutorials.
Brace, Brace, Brace
For us seasoned VATSIM veterans, regardless of which ever simulator we use on the network on and after 18 August, we must accept and understand we will have many new pilots who are just finding their way via MSFS2020. We must prepare ourselves for this eventuality. We will encounter scenarios as a result of new members who are new to the network spawning on the runways and not understanding simple ATC commands. Heck, we encounter these things now, but I anticipate much, much more of this behavior. I would simply ask all my fellow seasoned VATSIM pilots to be patient, be courteous and be helpful when you can. We all began our VATSIM journey in more or less the same way. We all have made mistakes and some of us (myself included) still sometimes make simple mistakes.
Final Thoughts
While I still plan to delay the use of Microsoft Flight Simulator until such time as PMDG and others have released study-level aircraft, I will be actively flying on the VATSIM network most likely as AAL301. If you have a question or need a little help, please let me know and I would be more than happy to assist. Likewise, if you’re a fan of American Airlines and would like to join a great group of flight simulator enthusiasts, I personally invite you to join American virtual Airlines (AvA). AvA is the oldest virtual airline in the VATSIM community. At AvA, we value community, camaraderie and especially fun. AvA is an awesome virtual airline which I’ve been a member of (off and on) for the past 19 years.
It’s been a few weeks since I posted a progress update on my journey to Prepar3D version 5. As I’ve mentioned previously, I was in no rush as my P3D v4.5 was rock solid and was providing me absolutely everything I needed for my flight simulation hobby. But like many others, I purchased P3D v5 in the hopes that it would be everything P3D 4.5 was and more. I’m happy to report that in my experience this is certainly the case.
The Beginning
In the early days of my P3D v5 experience the road was rocky. Or should I say the skies were turbulent. There were a few times that I believed the purchase of v5 was foolish and that most likely I would just discard it and proceed with 4.5. But I held the course and life with P3D v5 did get better with the release of the second hotfix.
Windows 10 2004
For the past several months or so, I’ve been running Windows 10 version 1909. I had heard good things about version 2004, but until recently that version of Windows 10 was not available to update to. The news that Microsoft had specifically made changes to version 2004 with regards to VRAM utilization was something many of us running P3Dv5 had been looking forward to. I recently received the update for 2004 and I’m very pleased to report that P3Dv5 (with hotfix 2) is running and looking as good as my P3Dv4.5 instance.
Thank you PMDG
Of course one of the main reasons I had held off on making the move to P3Dv5 was the wait for the PMDG 737NGXu. The Boeing737 is my most frequently used aircraft in the sim and PDMG had been holding off on its release until Lockheed Martin released the second hotfix.
VRAM Utilization
With P3Dv5 HF2 and Windows 1909 my available VRAM with the 1080Ti was capped at 9.1GB. Since updating to the 2004 Windows 10 update, this cap has been increased to 10.1 GB. This is great news as I can finally inch those P3D graphics sliders further to the right without having to worry about running out of VRAM.
Test Flights
Since updating to Windows 10 2004, I’ve conducted several test flights in the PMDG 737NGXu, Aerosoft Airbus A319, A320 and A321 along with a few test flights in the FSLabs Airbus A319/A320. With comparable settings which I had been running in P3Dv4.5 and the same add-ons in P3Dv5, I’m truly happy to report that P3Dv5 is out performing 4.5 which is what we had all hoped would be the case.
Proof in the Pudding
Here are just a few screenshots produced in P3Dv5 with the settings I’ve documented below.
My P3Dv5 Settings
While I’m always a bit reluctant to post/share settings simply because what works for me may not work for you. I still do it in the effort of sharing knowledge. I caution anyone to only use my settings as a guide. I would highly suggest you make small adjustments and test before going full bore. Even if you have the same hardware, no two systems will perform exactly the same. With all that said…here are the settings I’m currently using in Prepar3d v5 with hotfix 2 and Windows 10 update 2004 as of 23 July 2020.
Regarding FPS with these settings, if you’ve read some of my other writings you will know that I’m not concerned with the actual FPS number. I tune my P3D instance to produce a smooth, stable and visually appealing experience. Once everything is set, I really could care less about how many FPS I’m getting. Having said this, I will tell you that with the above settings I’m generally getting +30 FPS on the ground at most payware airports and 50+ at cruise (in the PMDG 737NGXu). Of course, your mileage will vary.
Oh and now that VRAM utilization is a key element in P3Dv5, my VRAM with these settings on the ground at a payware airport will range from 3.5 – 6.0 and at cruise ~2.5 – 3.0 GB. Not all payware airports and aircraft are created equal and as a result your results will vary.
While we’re still awaiting PMDG to release the B777 for P3Dv5, I have enough aircraft available in v5 to keep my busy and enjoying the hobby. I think it is safe to say that from now own I’ll be flying in P3Dv5 exclusively. Most likely P3Dv4.5 will be uninstalled to make way for MSFS2020 sometime in the future.
Thanks for reading and I hope this helps you establish a baseline to get the most out of Prepar3D version 5. It truly is a leap forward from earlier versions. Of course, MSFS2020 will most likely blow this away. But that’s another subject for another writing.
If you follow real world aviation news then I’m sure you’ve heard the sad news which was announced last week. Of course I’m talking about British Airways plans to retire their fleet of 28 Boeing 747-400 aircraft. In pre-COVID times, British Airways was the largest operator of the B744 and had plans to continue to operate the type into 2024.
I’ve had the pleasure to fly on three BA 744 flights in the past 5-6 years with the last flight being summer of 2019. While I’m fascinated with all aircraft types, the Boeing 747 Queen of the Skies was my absolute most favorite. British Airways began operating the 747-400 into Denver with their daily non-stop to London Heathrow about 6 years ago, replacing the Boeing 777-200 which had been used from the beginning of the DEN to LHR service. Of course the daily BA flight which connects Denver to London has been cancelled since mid March and I’m uncertain when it will resume. Most likely once the daily service resumes BA will either return to using the B772 or perhaps the Dreamliner.
Lack of Passenger Demand
The reasons for BA retiring their 747 fleet ahead of schedule boils down to lack of passenger demand and of course to the inefficiencies with the four engine beast. Of the 28 remaining 744’s in BA’s fleet, the majority were 20+ years of age and have served the airline well.
Long Live the Queen
Of course the majestic Boeing 747 will continue to fly. A few passenger airlines will continue to operate the newer 747-8 and of course the 747-400 will continue to fly into the next decade hauling freight around the globe.
The Future
If I could predict the future, I’d probably first focus on the next six numbers in the lottery…but who really knows what the future of passenger airline travel will look like. I suppose most of us believed this COVID-19 pandemic would have wrapped up by now and it appears there is no end in sight of it just yet. I read a few weeks ago that it could be 2023 or even 2024 before airline travel returns to the status it was pre-COVID. But I’ve learned over the past few months not to really trust anything I hear as short of God himself, know one knows.
Thanks for reading and please continue to take care of yourself and each other. We will get through this.
You’ve probably heard by now that Microsoft announced the much anticipated release date for their new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. The currently scheduled release date is Tuesday, 18 August 2020. This announcement and more importantly this date surprised many in the flight sim community, myself included. While I personally had no doubt that Microsoft would release the new sim this calendar year, I was thinking it would release in the late fall timeframe (October/November). After all, we only heard a short time ago that the product was exiting the alpha stage to enter beta.
All the Hype
I genuinely understand the hype. I too am excited about this new simulator. I’ve spent all my adult life (and some of my teen years) flying computer based sims. For me, it all started in about 1983/84 on the Commodore 64. I then evolved to the PC versions in the early 90’s and my current sim of choice is Prepar3D simply because it is the evolution of FSX and it has made the most sense for me to use.
Release Details
Instead of me typing all the details out regarding the various pricing options for MSFS 2020, I’m going to share a link to the FSElite website and the article they wrote which covers all these details. For me personally, I’ll probably go with the Premium Deluxe Edition. But I’m not planning on whipping out my credit card just yet.
Why I’m Waiting
There are a few reasons why I’m making the decision to wait on purchasing MSFS 2020. Perhaps one of the main reasons has to do with the fact that just about two weeks ago my 22 year career came to an end after being laid off. While this has less to do with finances, it has more to do with my focus and attention. I need to spend my time on searching for another job and some much needed DIY tasks around the house. While I’m still spending time enjoying simulation based gaming, I know that MSFS 2020 would probably suck more of my time away when I need to stay focused on other more important things.
Second, these days I tend to do most of my flying on the VATSIM network. I’m guessing it may take some time before MSFS 2020 is compatible with VATSIM. Third, and this one is perhaps more important than #2 is the fact that it will also be sometime before study level aircraft make the scene. What I’m hearing is the larger jets that come standard with the new sim are all default level. This is 100% OK as this new sim will introduce many to the world of flight simulation and default style aircraft are a great way to learn and enjoy flight simulation. But I love my PMDG and FSLabs aircraft and would easily get bored flying default aircraft.
Finally, I know there will be challenges and bugs with the new release. Having some experience with software development, I’m not sure how it can go from alpha to beta and then literally within weeks ready for prime time. So Microsoft is doing what most software developers do (and they probably wrote the book on this) is release it to the masses and allow their customers to perform a widespread beta test. I’m 100% OK with this as I know it happens across the entire spectrum of software development. I also know that Microsoft will release updates/fixes and MSFS 2020 will become everything we have wanted it to be since we learned of the demise of FSX.
Finally, Finally…..if you’ve been reading my blog site you know I did purchase Prepar3D v5 and I’ve been taking a slow approach making the move from v4. In the past few weeks I’ve been using v5 exclusively and getting it all dialed in. I have most of my favorite aircraft installed along with scenery. v5 is a huge jump from v4 and I’m having fun with it. Flight Simulation has navigated me through some dark times in the past 35 years.
Well…I need another cup of coffee and I believe I’ve said all I intended to say on this subject. Thank you for reading.
Not just an EFB! Is there website tagline. I’ve recently began using SimToolkitPro (STKP) and very much like what I see. I’ll dive into what STKP is, what my first impressions are and how I’m using it in the course of this review.
Before I start this product review. Please allow me to get the fine print out of the way. By the way, STKP is (at this time) 100% free so I modified by normal fine print statement to reflect that.
The product I am reviewing was purchased downloaded by me and for my own personal use. I receive absolutely no compensation of any form (cash, credit, discounts, promises) for reviewing this product. I have not contacted, nor have I been contacted by the vendor to provide this product review. The opinions expressed (good or bad) are my own, your mileage may vary.
First Things First
Before I get too deep into this review, I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to the developers behind SimToolkitPro for creating such a robust tool and offering it to the community for free. The word freeware is almost unheard of in the flight sim community these days. I can remember a time when freeware/shareware was huge in our community and over the past 10+ years fewer and fewer things have been developed at no cost especially for FSX/P3D. Of course those who use XPlane certainly enjoy many items which have been generously created by and for the community.
What is SimToolkitPro
I’m going to just do a copy/paste directly from the STKP website to describe what it is as I don’t think I could sum it up any better.
“A completely free modern cross platform (soon) Electronic Flight Bag with so much more! Under heavy and rapid development over the last 18 months SimToolkitPro has grown into an indispensable flight simming companion. Reducing system load by consolidating tools, having everything within reach during the flight from up to date METAR, to the latest charts, SimToolkitPro is the all-in-one app for flight simulation.”
From the limited time I’ve been using STKP, I can attest that their claims are true and for me, STKP could replace several applications I’m currently using for my flight sim operations. More about this later.
How I’m using STKP
As previously stated, I’ve been using STKP for just over a week. I’ve been running it alongside all my normal applications such as AivlaSoft EFB, ProjectFly and VAT-SPY. In theory, STKP could immediately replace all these applications if I chose to completely make the switch. But there are things I like about these other applications and for now do not plan to eliminate them for these reasons.
AivlaSoft EFB is a payware application I own and I’m quite used to its functionality. While STKP provides much of the same functionality, I feel AivlaSoft EFB offers (at this time) better features for me especially in the area of ground/taxi map tracking. I can pre-select my gate that I will be departing from/arriving to and see the best route to take. This is especially helpful when ATC isn’t available.
While STKP provides much more functionality compared to ProjectFly, one feature not available in SKTP at this time is the Passport feature. ProjectFly tracks each country you land in and displays that countries flag in a passport view. While I haven’t aggressively been trying to fly to every country on Earth, I’ve currently visited 32% of them and don’t want to lose this progress. While some may view this feature as not that big of a deal, I do like it and yes, I have a goal (no time limit) to fly and land in every country. I’ll get there eventually.
Sometimes old habits are just hard to break. I’ve been using VAT-SPY for years when flying on the VATSIM network. I mainly use it to just keep an eye on what VATSIM ATC is online and air traffic around me. When landing in an ATC controlled airspace, I find being able to read the ATIS info much better than listening to it on frequency. I will say that the STKP Live Map 2.0 is much nicer than VAT-SPY. But I’ve not found a way to view the ATIS info as I prefer.
Built In Navigraph Charts
If you’re a subscriber of Navigraph and specifically their charts offering, then you’ll probably enjoy the fact that Navigraph Charts are built into STKP. I just find it handy to have this feature built into STKP versus launching the separate Navigraph Charts desktop app. Of course, I also often use the Navigraph Charts Android app on my tablet.
Before I move away from the topic of Navigraph. Again for users with a Navigraph subscription, you’ll want to make sure you download the FMS data and keep it updated for each published cycle. The Navigraph FMS Data download manager works with STKP and is super easy to keep all your FMS needs current as each cycle changes on a monthly (28 day) basis.
Aircraft Fleet Tracking
Much like ProjectFly, you will need to setup your aircraft fleet into STKP. This is handy for tracking the total number of hours and flights you’ve flown on each. This will also track the last known location for each aircraft if that is something that interests you.
Schedules
There’s many different ways to manage flight schedules in STKP. You can view real world flight schedules to and from any airport in the world or create your own in just a few easy steps. I tend to fly mainly real world schedules and 99.9% of my flights at this time are simulating American Airlines.
SimBrief Integration
This is a really important feature for me and makes it so much easier for me personally. For most of my flights, I first go to Simbrief and begin setting up my flight. I will often cross reference this information with Flightaware. But once I have my OFP (Operational Flight Plan) created and download for easy access from any of my aircraft FMS, I just simply go to STKP and have it pull the flight data down based on my most current OFP. I then select the aircraft tail number I’m flying for that trip and start the flight. It’s that easy.
Much, Much More
There are many more features to STKP which I just don’t have the time to document today. In addition, I fully expect the next STKP update to roll out in the next few days which is going to introduce many more features. As STKP is 100% free, if what I’ve described here is of interest, then you really have nothing to lose on downloading, installing and giving it a go. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Well that’s just about all the time I have for now. But I’ll return again soon.
There are a few key areas which is causing me to take a slow approach to moving full-time over to the new Prepar3D version 5. Of course, reason number 1 is because I have such a smooth running P3Dv4.5 setup that there really isn’t any need to get in a hurry to make the move. Also as I’ve mentioned before, the PMDG 737NGXu is my favorite aircraft and one I fly most often and it most likely is still a few weeks from making it over to P3Dv5. Finally I’m also dragging my feet a bit in anticipation of the next P3Dv5 hotfix.
While all those things are certainly important to me. There is another area which also takes center stage and that is supportability of my GoFlight Hardware. I own several different external hardware components which I enjoy using when flying. As of the posting of this article, there has been no mention from GoFlight on when they plan to release an updated version of their software to support Prepar3D version 5. I’ve emailed them and received no response as of yet.
Did Some Digging
Normally I’m pretty reluctant to try to make something work in a new version of P3D until a new installer has been released. There are some who are flying around in the PMDG 737NGXu and I guess they are having fun with a few minor quirks. I don’t like minor quirks and try to avoid them at all cost. My philosophy is minor quirks now could lead to serious issues later. I just don’t have time for that.
Having said all that, I proceeded to research if any others have had success in getting it all to work and I found the answers I was looking for.
It Does Work
Oddly enough, the GoFlight Software does work fine in P3Dv5. All I needed to do was copy my .exe.xml file from my P3Dv4 instance over to P3Dv5. Of course, I made sure to first backup my P3Dv5 .exe.xml file first. Then I proceeded to copy/paste and overwrite the file. I rebooted my PC and tested.
Just FYI, the purpose of the exe.xml file serves as a set of instructions for launching various P3D addons. When I view my exe.xml file in my P3Dv4 setup, I see entries for GoFlight and also for Chaseplane. Comparing that to the v5 instance, it only showed Chaseplane. So since both GoFlight and Chaseplane are working great in v4 and I’ll use both in v5, I just simply copied the file from v4 to v5. But once again, please make a backup of the exe.xml file located in your v5 just in case.
File Location
Just copy .exe.xml located C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4
to C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v5
This should get most GF hardware working in P3Dv5. If you own the GF MCP Pro and EFIS panels, then you’ll need to pickup the updated GFIT (GoFlight Interface Tool) from Pollypot Software. A new version has been released for P3Dv5 which does work great on the PMDG 747 QoTSII.
With this working, once the PMDG 737NGXu is officially made available for P3Dv5 I then just need to proceed with finalizing getting my yoke, pedals and throttles programmed in FSUIPC 6 and I’ll be off to the races. But until then….I’m happily flying along with my trusty P3Dv4.5 setup and she’s looking marvelous.
