July 22, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
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.
Until next time….
Jerry
July 15, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
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.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
June 19, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
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.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
June 6, 2020 / admin / 1 Comment
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.
Until next time….
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
June 4, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
My Prepar3D v5 setup is getting closer and closer to being ready for full time use. Just in the past 48 hours, Aerosoft announced the release of their P3Dv5 installers for the Airbus A318/A319 & A320/A321 aircraft. I’ve downloaded and installed both and they appear to work just fine.
As I’ve mentioned in previous updates regarding my move to P3Dv5, I’m in no hurry to pull the plug on P3Dv4.5. It continues to run smooth and as I’m still in self-isolation and working from home, I’m logging 6-8 hours a day in the sim. For the month of May I logged over 150 flight hours. The only hiccup I had was some performance issues after taking the last P3Dv4.5 hotfix which I discussed here.
Fun in the Airbus Continues
As I mentioned here, I’ve moved back to the Aerosoft Airbus for my A319/A320 and A321 flights. Since reacquainting myself with these models, I’ve logged perhaps 35-40 hours of flights in them and while the FSLabs product is more immersive, the Aerosoft versions have given me many hours of trouble-free enjoyment.
Come on PMDG
As I’ve mentioned before, my holding pattern from plowing full-steam ahead with P3Dv5 is the PMDG 737NGXu release. At the time of this writing, there is no clear timeframe for when it will be made available for v5. From what I understand, there are two possible reasons for the stall.
First, Lockheed Martin is working on another hotfix for P3Dv5 which is supposed to resolve some of the performance and stability issues. Second, Microsoft is due to release the latest Windows 10 update 2004 which is supposed to also address some issues with VRAM. Most likely, Lockheed is waiting on Microsoft and PMDG is in a holding pattern as a result. Makes sense to me.
My P3Dv5 Settings
I’m still tweaking my graphics settings to get the best looking visuals and performance from P3Dv5. I started by essentially duplicating my P3Dv4.5 settings and that was initially OK. However, due to the slight instability of v5 (at this time), I’ve backed them down slightly without much visual impact. So I’ll continue to see how this works with the add-ons I have and what limited about of time I’m flying in v5 until the hotfix is released. After all, at this point it’s really just about testing.
Well that just about does it for this update. I need to get back to work and in a few hours land my Airbus A319 at KDFW.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
June 2, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
I’ve been flying online using the VATSIM network since its beginning. For those in the know, that’s about 19 years. My early memories of VATSIM were somewhat stressful. I had spent years flying the Microsoft Flight Simulator style of ATC and really didn’t have much knowledge of how VATSIM ATC (or real world ATC for that matter) operated. But I managed to build up my confidence and knowledge and completed a half dozen or so flights and then it all just clicked. Of course, one of the best things I decided to do was to truly learn a study level aircraft from top to bottom, complete with understanding both the initial setup of the FMC but just as importantly how to make changes (if necessary) enroute. However, in addition to the FMC setup, it helps to also understand the workings of SID’s and STAR’s. But I digress, as this article really isn’t going to be about how to fly online. I covered some VATSIM Basics which you can read here.
Flying Online – Pros
As Real As It Gets
At times, flying online is truly an “As Real As It Gets” experience. When you participate in a large scale online event where the entire USA has fully staffed ATC including clearance delivery, ground, tower, departure/approach and center positions (see image below) the absolute level of immersion just can’t be beat. However, these types of events only occur a few times a year.
VATSIM Light Up America Event (June 2018)
VATSIM Cross The Pond (west bound) Event (October 2014)
When these large scale events aren’t taking place, flying online is still much better (in my opinion) than flying offline and using AI generated ATC (or no ATC at all). During the COVID-19 pandemic when most everyone is self-isolating at home, the amount of traffic on the VATSIM network has on most days been very high. ATC positions across the country have been staffed and it’s been an enjoyable experience to fly and take my mind off the events impacting the world.
Snapshot of VATSIM Traffic over the USA on Wednesday 27 May 2020 (10:40 AM MT)
Flying Online – Cons
As with anything in life, there’s always going to be a few things which fall in the “cons”category. Perhaps one of my biggest pet peeves when flying online are the times when no ATC is controlling the airport I’m flying out of or into. If I’m the only aircraft around, it’s no big deal. But 9 times out of 10 in this situation, I won’t be the only pilot.
Please check FlightRadar24
There are many times when a METAR alone will not determine the exact direction an airport is operating in. For example, while I’m writing this I’m also flying into KDFW (Dallas/Ft. Worth). The winds are dead calm. So in reality any runway is suitable for landing or departing and DFW has seven runways to choose from. In this situation, I always check the FlightRadar24 site to see how the airport is operating in the real world. After all, I’m using real world weather…so I might as well simulate the exact landing configuration as is currently taking place.
FlightRadar24 is super easy to use. At a busy airport like KDFW, it’s fast and easy to determine which runways are in use. As in the example below, AAL172 is landing on runway 35C.
By doing a little homework it helps to ensure that all other pilots around you (who have also done their homework) will not encounter an immersion blowing experience by you departing or landing in the opposite direction.
Final Thoughts
Some might argue all this really doesn’t matter. Or some might say, “my weather depiction is different”. In my opinion, these arguments are simply weak excuses. The hobby of flight simulation is all about (or should be about) “As Real As It Gets”. If you are truly serious about this hobby, then ensure either you are running real world weather or you comply with real world operations if ATC isn’t online.
Until next time…Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
May 28, 2020 / admin / 1 Comment
You’re traveling to your favorite destination, on your favorite airline in your favorite aircraft. Upon landing the captain and first officer fist bump each other at the –23 landing rate which is displayed on the flight deck. The captain makes an announcement over the PA and the entire airplane erupts in applause.
Now Back to Reality
Of course the above scenario doesn’t happen, so why do we as sim pilots place so much emphasis on this “landing rate” statistic? What is a landing rate? How is it calculated? What makes a good landing? Sit back, relax and I’ll try to answer these questions and perhaps more during the course of this article.
The Landing Rate
In general terms, when someone in the flight sim community discusses his/her or someone else’s landing rate, they are typically referring to the smoothness of landing by using the vertical speed (fpm = feet per minute) an aircraft is traveling at the time the landing gear touch the runway. Within the flight sim community and especially within many of the virtual airlines (VA’s) this statistic is used as bragging rights and the top 5 or so “Best Landings” will be plastered on the homepage. The calculated landing rate may also be used as a threshold to approve or deny PIREP’s (Pilot Reports) submitted by the VA’s members if the landing rate is above a particular number.
The Nuts and Bolts of a Good Landing
There’s a lot that goes into what is considered a good landing and the actual smoothness of a landing is really only one factor and I wouldn’t even classify that as the most important. When landing, a pilot will always strive to touchdown as early as possible and within the touchdown zone. This allows for the maximum distance needed to slowly and safely decrease the speed of the aircraft so the pilot can vacate the runway in a timely fashion.
The next consideration is position of the aircraft in reference to the centerline of the runway. Just as important as the touchdown zone, keeping the aircraft as close to the centerline of the runway will ensure the aircraft wings won’t clip any obstacles and in the event of strong wind currents will allow plenty of time to correct.
Finally, yes…smoothness certainly does play an important role in the mechanics of a successful landing. After all, we certainly don’t want to pay for any unnecessary aircraft repair bills and/or insurance claims from passengers requiring a chiropractor. But there is such a thing as too smooth of a landing.
Aircraft touchdown mechanisms (especially tubeliners) that trigger the action of the spoilers and autobrakes will not activate unless a certain amount of pressure has been applied. In other words, a smooth as silk landing most likely will not provide enough G Force to activate the spoilers and this can also have a direct impact on the effectiveness of the brakes when slowing and stopping the aircraft. Finally, a super smooth landing will (in most cases) require a lot more runway as the aircraft floats and increases the roll distance.
Of all the above points which make up the nuts and bolts of a good landing, the various ACARS systems which calculate the landing rate in our simulators will still only use the FPM the aircraft is traveling at the time the landing gear touches the ground. Note I didn’t say runway. As the ACARS system will not penalize you if your landing is so technically bad that you’ve used the entire length of the runway just to get that super low landing rate which will earn you bragging rights up and down the virtual hallways in your virtual airline.
A Good Landing
There is a quote which possibly sums up this article and it goes a little something like this. “If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.”
As for my own landing rates, well these numbers are as useful to me as frame rates. Meaning, I refer to them only on occasion and really couldn’t care less about them all the other times. On average, my landing rate in jet aircraft will range between –175 to –300. It really depends on the aircraft. The PMDG Boeing 737NGXu is my most flown aircraft and the one I feel most comfortable with. The exact opposite can be said for the Airbus A319/A320/A321. The ProjectFly app tracks all my flights and also logs my landing rate. I’ve logged 336 flights in ProjectFly, totaling over 740 hours and my average landing rate is –211 fpm. Which in my opinion is the sweet spot.
Practice Makes Perfect
So if you want my advice, instead of striving for the super low, super smooth landing rate…instead focus on touching down in the touchdown zone with the aircraft as close to the centerline as possible. When you can’t meet these conditions, then go-around and try again. But don’t let some arbitrary number determine your landings.
Until next time….
Happy landings!
Jerry
May 23, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
Earlier this week I made the decision to return back to using the Aerosoft Airbus versions of the A319, A320 and A321 and thus (for now) grounding my FSLabs A319 and A320. While I truly believe the FSLabs versions of the popular Airbus aircraft are certainly more immersive and also more study-level, I’ve been battling some issues with the FSLabs which I’ve not be able to fully address.
Since COVID-19 has me working from home since mid March, I’ve been using the time to enjoy flight sim. No, I’m not constantly flying all day when I should be working. But I do generally start up a 3-4 hour flight in the morning and time it to land during my lunch break. I will often depart for a second flight during lunch and time that to land just after my day has finished. Alternatively, I’ve loaded up a long-haul with a duration of 9-10 hours in the same fashion. During the in-flight time my capable first officer (auto pilot) is flying the aircraft. I’ve been doing this on an almost daily basis since the beginning of the quarantine and as a result have racked up a few hundred hours of flight time this way.
Aerosoft A321 American Airlines
When flying any of my PMDG aircraft (B738, B777 or B744) or the QualityWings B788 the autopilot just quietly controls the aircraft and there are no issues. However, when wanting to fly either of my FSLabs Airbus aircraft, the same can’t be said. Almost every time I fly the FSLabs aircraft I will experience constant auto pilot disconnects. These disconnects (unless I’m paying attention) usually end in with my aircraft doing a nose dive into the ground or water below.
The FSLabs forums do offer pointers on how to control this behavior. The main cause for this is turbulence and I’ve adjusted ActiveSky exactly how the info on the forums suggest. So much so there’s almost very little observed turbulence, yet the AP continues to disconnect. Short of flying without Activesky, I’m just not sure how else to try to resolve this issue. In reading the forums, I’m not the only one that (even when following the recommended settings) continue to experience this behavior on almost every flight.
Most say, this is just the behavior of the Airbus. I’m not a real world pilot and I don’t personally know anyone that is. But none of my Boeing aircraft (and the PMDG aircraft I own are just as study level as the FSLabs) behave in this way. So what I come away with is the tolerances within the FSLabs are just too restrictive as compared to what I’m used to.
So having said all this, I’ve returned to using the Aerosoft versions of the Airbus. In doing so, I’m quite surprised at just how much this aircraft has matured. The last time I seriously used the Aerosoft versions I was on P3Dv3. At that time they were pretty basic, certainly so when I compared them with the FSLabs. I still prefer my PMDG Boeing aircraft and I’m also enjoying the QW Dreamliner. But from time to time I do enjoy flying the Airbus series and for my Monday – Friday flights, the Aerosoft will work just fine. I may even pickup their A330 soon.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!
Jerry
May 20, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
Taking a short break from writing about the flight sim world just to document some thoughts I have towards the real world. Specifically the real world of aviation and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic it is experiencing.
Like many avid flight simulation enthusiasts, I’m also an avid avgeek. It’s somewhat funny if you think about it. As much as I enjoy the hobby of flight simulation and enjoy the real world of aviation, I’ve never had any desire to obtain my private pilots license. The amount of money I’ve spent on the sim world could have gone a long ways towards paying for lessons. But either I was too busy in my younger days or now it’s just too expensive. Either way, time (or lack thereof) still plays an integral part I guess. But in any event, I still very much love everything about real world aviation. It might just be plane spotting from my back deck or even travel…I love it all. But the future of aviation is really uncertain at this point in time.
Sure, we all must keep a positive outlook on this. As my long time readers will know, my wife and I usually travel to Europe every other year or so. We were just over last summer and while we had no plans to travel this year (2020), I’m sure we’ll make the trip again sometime in the future.
State of the Airlines
Within the aviation industry, airlines are struggling. Most major airports around the world look like airplane parking lots with multiple runways and taxiways being closed and used for storage. Those airlines still flying are only operating a small fraction of their fleet and routes. These flights may contain a few passengers, but mainly are flying cargo. It’s unclear whether carriers will be able to weather this storm. While we’re starting to see a re-opening of the world’s economies…I’m not sure how long it will be before we see a return of pre-COVID-19 air travel.
The Demise of the Jumbo
Airlines were quick to begin grounding their fleet of aircraft around the world. As previously mentioned, some airlines are storing aircraft at their hub airport locations while others are flying them out for longer term storage in the many desert storage locations. As airlines begin to predict their return to service, the jumbo jet doesn’t appear to be part of their plan. Virgin Atlantic made the decision to retire their Boeing 747-400’s in early May. Delta will retire their entire Boeing 777 fleet by end of the year. Of the approx. 234 Airbus A380’s, not a single one is flying at the present time and just yesterday I heard that Emirate’s has plans to retire some 46 of their A380’s approx. 10 years ahead of schedule.
Long Live the Queen
My trip to London last summer was onboard British Airways Boeing 747-400. A truly magnificent aircraft and my favorite to travel on. While I can’t be certain, but I suspect that flight will go down in my personal history as the last time I was able to fly on the B744. Most of the 744’s are in the 20+ year age range and just simply may not survive this crisis. But of course that’s not to say we’ll never see another Boeing 747 flying into our favorite airports.
Both the Boeing 747-400 and 777 will continue to fly as cargo aircraft for many years to come. While some passenger variants may end up in the airplane graveyard, many will be retrofitted and return to service flying cargo all around the world. This of course won’t be the case for the Airbus A380. Unfortunately, the A380 (passenger variant) wasn’t designed to have an afterlife as a cargo hauler.
Not Just Widebodies
The impact of COVID-19 isn’t just hitting widebody aircraft. While one can argue that Boeing certainly had major issues before COVID-19 was even heard of, the global pandemic certainly isn’t making it easy on the aircraft manufacture and specifically for the Boeing 737 Max. In recent days, orders totaling just over 100 aircraft were cancelled and of course the worldwide fleet of this variant has been grounded for more than a year. It’s truly difficult to predict when or even if the 737 Max will ever fly again.
Switching Gears
While not aviation related, I’ve heard that RV sales are at an all time high. At least for now, people are changing their attitudes about travel and will opt to take their entire house with them where ever they may roam. This might be wise for some as everything you need is all self-contained in your RV.
Final Thoughts
As I said at the top of the piece, the future is simply unknown. As I write this, I’ve been self-isolating/working from home for just over two months. I don’t expect this to change anytime soon. Many tech companies have decided not to attempt to bring their workforce back until sometime next year. Other companies are planning to continue with a work from home policy indefinitely. While I personally believe we’ll continue to see a drop in the infection/death rate due to COVID-19 throughout the summer, I believe we may see it climb once again later this fall as we enter the typical flu season. Again, while the future is unknown…we all need to be prepared for the impacts of COVID-19 (in one way or other) to continue to impact us well into the decade.
Thanks for reading and I’ll be sure to return shortly with a P3Dv5 setup update. Until then, please continue to take care of yourself and those around you.
Jerry
May 18, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
Actually….it’s looking REAL Good! The updates from Microsoft over the past few weeks have been extraordinarily awesome. Just this week more news was made available to us regarding the Airbus A-320 and the Boeing 747-8i which will be just two of the default aircraft made available in the new simulator. You can read more about this here.
Video Killed the Radio Star
Yes, it’s time for one of my 80’s music references which I do tend to use from time to time and also time to interject my opinion. Remember, my opinion is just that. It’s my opinion! It belongs to me. We may or may not agree and that’s OK. I’ll respect you and your opinion and likewise, I hope you’ll do the same.
I’ve been discussing MSFS2020 on this blog site since the news first broke almost a year ago. As a matter of fact, this news surprised absolutely everyone in the flight sim community. No one saw this coming. At the time Microsoft made this announcement the FlightSimExpo in Orlando was taking place and before we learned about MSFS2020 the community had two clear (and mostly equal) platforms to saddle their horse to and of course I’m talking about Prepar3D and X-Plane. But should we begin planning the funeral of these two major players?
Rock You Like A Hurricane
I personally believe Microsoft learned a very valuable lesson from their “Flight” experience, or should I say fiasco from 8 years ago. I believe Microsoft knew in order to truly catch and captivate the attention of the flight sim community they needed to step up to the plate, swing and hit the ball out of the park. They did just this and they’ve kept hitting home runs since.
Is This Love?
The “Flight Fiasco” I mentioned earlier scarred the community. Many of us we were wondering what the heck was Microsoft thinking? I will also admit that I too was first skeptical about MSFS2020 when I learned MS also planned to make this available on the Xbox platform. But over time we’ve heard from add-on developers like PMDG, FSLabs and Aerosoft have plans to release add-on aircraft for the new platform. I’m sure others like A2A, TFDi, QualityWings etc. will follow suit.
Only time will tell exactly what the impact will be to both Prepar3D and X-Plane. After all, there are still a lot of FSX and even FS9 users in our community. I personally believe the impact won’t be known until we learn more about the pricing strategy with MSFS2020. Many (including myself) believe there most likely will be a base price cost along with a monthly subscription. As I’ve stated in previous postings about MSFS2020, the monthly subscription doesn’t scare me away pending it’s reasonable. Of course what is reasonable to me, may not be so to others. But as I’ve also pointed out before, I don’t expect any add-on from FSX –> P3Dv5.x to be made available for MSFS for free (as we’ve seen in the past). I believe any add-on developed for FSX –> P3Dv5.x will require a significant amount of re-development efforts to justify a fee of some kind. We’re even seeing some developers take this position with their P3Dv4.5 –> P3Dv5.x work. Anyway…..
Feels Like the First Time
While my journey from P3Dv4.x –> P3Dv5.x hasn’t required any hardware upgrades, I do remember the days where each time Microsoft released a new flight simulator I was always a day late and a dollar or three short when it came to hardware requirements. However, most who have built systems over the past few years and beefed them up should be OK when it comes to MSFS2020. After all, so much of the underlying code of even P3Dv5 is still built on the original FSX code. So I’m hopeful my hardware will allow MSFS2020 to perform even better than how my P3D versions are performing.
Final Thoughts
There’s still so much we really don’t know about the Microsoft Flight Simulator. While I’m not sure COVID-19 will play a part in the release schedule, I would estimate a late fall/early winter release to coincide with the 2020 Christmas holiday. As for everything else, I believe Microsoft will continue to release chunks of information over the next several months and build up the anticipation and hype.
Of course, much like my current experience with P3Dv5….after initial release of MSFS2020 I would anticipate it will be a few weeks (or even months) before study level aircraft are available and it be ready for VATSIM use. But I’m sure I’ll do exactly what everyone else will do within 5 minutes of install. That is to fire up the sim, load myself up near my closest airport (KAPA) and fly over my house. 
Until next time…
Happy Flying and be safe in all that you do.
Jerry
