May 25, 2016 / admin / 2 Comments
The highly anticipated Dovetail Games Flight School arrived on Tuesday via Steam just in time for summer. If you are new to the world of flight simulation, during the summer of 2014 Dovetail Games obtained the rights from Microsoft to distribute Microsoft Flight Simulator X and more importantly develop the next flight simulator in the series. Dovetail Games released Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition in December of that same year.
During the lead-up to the release of FSX Steam Edition, we had been hearing about the plans Dovetail Games had for the future of flight simulation. In a press release Dovetail Games stated they were investigating new concepts in the area of flight simulation and expected to bring a new release to market sometime in 2015. Well…the ball dropped in Times Square and no “new concept” in the area of flight simulation from Dovetail was produced. But we all know that software developers often make plans and then delays occur.
Anyway, the Dovetail Games Flight School is actually a good sign (and a good thing for our hobby). First, it proves that Dovetail Games is capable of developing something of their own related to flight simulation and Second, I’m hopeful the success of this product will further convince them of the popularity of our hobby.
I’m traveling on business at the moment and won’t be home until this weekend. But I have purchased Dovetail Games Flight School and will spend time with it in the coming days/weeks and will further review it. From what I’ve seen on various Twitch live streams is the product is good for the price. Dovetail Games Flight School is available from Steam for $14.99 USD.
During a few of these live streams I saw comments from viewers complaining about the level of detail in the ground textures etc. Folks, this is a $15 piece of software. The purpose is to teach you the fundamentals of flight. You can’t expect Dovetail Games Flight School to include Orbx level of detail. Also, some were complaining that the airports featured in Dovetail Games Flight School were out of date. Well…most likely the airport textures are a copy/paste from FSX. Again, this IS NOT A BIG DEAL! Again, from what I’ve witnessed in several Twitch streams, Dovetail Games Flight School is value for money.
In closing, what are my expectations of Dovetail Games Flight School? After all, I’ve been flying computer based flight simulators since the early 1980’s. Well…I want to learn more. I want to further polish my skills to further enhance my realism through simulation efforts. I’ll be sure to provide an update, “First Look” type blog posting in due time.
Well…I must turn in now. I have an early start tomorrow. Remember, if you enjoy flight simulation and are interested in joining a mature and relaxed virtual airline, please visit virtual Air Logistics. virtual Air Logistics is a virtual airline I started back in 2013. virtual Air Logistics, a different kind of virtual airline for a different kind of virtual pilot.
Until next time…
Many Happy Landings!
JT
May 18, 2016 / admin / 2 Comments
Yes…you are reading this correctly and NO it’s not a delayed blog posting which should have been uploaded on April 1st (April Fools Day). I’m actually starting to consider purchasing X-Plane version 10.
For the sake of bringing everyone up to speed, I’ve been flying computer simulations since the early to mid 1980’s. Yes…I said 1980’s. It all started with the Commodore 64. As I moved into the world of PC’s in the early 1990’s, I began playing the Microsoft Flight Simulator version and owned each version up to FSX.
A few years ago when Lockheed Martin came onto the scene with P3D v1.0 I passed on it. I didn’t actually take the plunge into P3D until version 2.3. I moved up to version 2.4 and finally version 2.5 as they were each released. During this timeframe, I was mostly using P3D, but still had FSX installed and would occasionally fire it up.
When P3D launched version 3, that was around the time that I also decided to move from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and in doing so I decided to do a complete rebuild of my gaming system. When Windows 10 came online, I installed P3D version 3.0 and never touched the FSX disks. They still sit in my bookcase to this day.
More than just an investment
My history with FSX and P3D is more than just a financial investment. While it is true I probably have several thousand dollars invested in hardware and software (add-on aircraft, airport scenery, weather etc. etc.) it is also about what I’m truly used to. Since P3D for the most part is just a enhanced version of FSX, the functional aspects of the application (and my experience) goes back a long time (almost 10 years). Making the move from FSX/P3D to X-Plane is (in my opinion) would be a financial sacrifice, it also will very much be a mental sacrifice. But why would I even want to consider this move?
Looking for stability
While it is true LM has made significant advances in controlling the memory beast that comes with a complex 32 bit application like P3D. Especially when factoring in some of the beautiful add-on scenery and complex aircraft systems, but P3D just remains so darn fickle. After you spend hours and hours and even more hours installing P3D, all the add-on airports, add-on airports etc. there just are no guarantees that some future Microsoft Windows update won’t cause everything to explode. Ok…perhaps not literally. But you understand what I’m saying.
Many (even including myself) were disappointed to learn that P3D v. 3 was not 64 bit and even more upsetting to learn that Lockheed Martin may not even have any plans at all to develop a 64 bit version of P3D. But is 64 bit the end-all, be all? No, but it does go a long way. But as I stated last year, IF Lockheed Martin developed a 64 bit version of P3D…this will cause a ripple effect throughout the flight sim community and would most certainly require all 3rd party add-ons to also be re-developed into 64 bit versions. As there is no magic 32 to 64 bit conversion process…the simple fact that I purchased (as an example) an Orbx scenery 5 years ago for FSX and have since enjoyed a P3D v2.x AND a P3D 3.x version (with no additional cost) would most certainly be a thing of the past. Said in another way, the day a 64 bit version of P3D releases…that is when we all start over.
800 Pound Gorilla
Yes…there is an 800 pound gorilla in the room which we all just tend to ignore. If we don’t look at it, then it really isn’t there. Right? What am I talking about? Well…I’m talking about those four letters that make up that very nasty word. NO….not that word. I’m talking about EULA. The vast majority of P3D users are breaking the EULA each and every day. Most of the “famous” YouTubers and Twitch streamers are doing it in plain sight. Yes….even yours truly is breaking the law according to those four letters EULA. By the way, EULA stands for End User License Agreement. It basically is a legally binding document which tells us just how we can use the P3D software.
It should come as no surprise that I would bring this up. I’ve been talking about the P3D EULA since the days of v1.x. It was the EULA which kept me from purchasing P3D until version 2.3 and then I knew I was in the wrong, but there was nothing stopping me. With version 2.x I only owned the academic license. With version 3, I did plop down the $199 and went with the professional license. But as I’ve said over and over and over. I don’t fit into any of the license categories and as previously stated, most don’t either. The EULA clearly states that Prepar3D is not to be used, offered, sold or distributed through markets or channels for use as a personal/consumer entertainment product.
We’ve been fortunate. At this very moment you can visit the Prepar3d.com website and you can purchase P3D v3 (or even v2.x) without the need to prove you are a student, professional or developer. Try to do this with any other form of software which offers discounts for students? Yea…I think you are starting to get my point.
Actually…while I’m not lawyer (and I didn’t sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night either), Lockheed Martin is actually in violation of their agreement with Microsoft by even allowing a non-student, non-professional and non-developer to purchase the software. I suppose there may be some small gray area where Lockheed Martin isn’t actually marketing P3D for personal use. Also, the reason why I purchased the professional version of P3D v3 was based on the following “Acceptable uses for Prepar3D include Simulation, Learning and Training. While I’m not using P3D to train, I do firmly believe that flight simulation is “not just a video game”, so I’m simulating the activities of a professional pilot and I’m learning the proper and correct procedures required to simulate the aircraft I enjoy flying. But this is a HUGE play on words. Does the glove fit????
Bottom line….while I have a huge investment in FSX/P3D which I’m utilizing in P3D v.3.x. There are no guarantees I’ll continue to enjoy this. What scares me the most? While Microsoft could have forced Lockheed to tighten down their selling practices, it is Dovetail which makes me more nervous. After all, Dovetail purchased the rights to redistribute FSX via Steam AND what ever Dovetails “New” entry into the Flight Sim world will be, could suffer a financial impact due to P3D.
Change is Good????
Finally, I suppose I’m intrigued by the element of change. Some suggest that X-Plane has a much more realistic flight dynamics as compared to FSX or P3D. For me, this is not really as important. While I appreciate the “As Real As It Gets” experience with FSX/P3D, the fact it may lack slightly to X-Plane isn’t enough reason to make the change. But having access to different aircraft types which may not be available for P3D v3.x could interest me enough to make the move. While I absolutely love my PMDG 737NGX, I also very much miss flying my MD80, Boeing 727 just to name a few. From what I’ve found in my initial research, X-Plane has a very serious following of aircraft developers who are doing their part to keep these old birds flying in the virtual skies.
Next Steps
At this point in time I’m giving X-Plane some really serious thought. I more than likely will purchase via Steam so I have the option to apply for a refund if I find it doesn’t live up to my expectations. I’ll be certain to keep you all posted on my decision and my progress should I decide to pull the trigger. If anything, it will be good for me to try X-Plane for the sake of my simulation blogging efforts. After all, X-Plane (for Windows) has been around for as long as FSX and it is very much still in active development.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
April 25, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments
I would truly love to have both the talent and time to do more YouTube and/or Twitch video content. While my time is rather limited, I also find it really difficult to fill the space of 45-60 minutes of excellent content AND most importantly attempt to do something (anything) others may not already be doing. That’s the thing really…just about all the popular maps are being covered by more than one YouTuber and Twitch Streamer. They are planting, they are harvesting, they are tending to the cows and they are washing the vehicles. While some don’t take the same approach and effort in “Realisim through Simulation” they all have their audience. The good news for me is the website visits, the number of RSS subscribers etc. all continue to rise. This tells me there are individuals who enjoy blog style content based on many of the simulation games I play and the discussions I have about them.
At the present time, I’m spending much of my gaming time playing Farming Simulator 15. I’m really enjoying it now that I have both my Logitech G27 and Logitech Joystick configured. I recorded a short video on how I accomplished this.
Anyway, at the present time I’m farming on three different maps (soon to be four). Graceland is getting the most attention, followed by Coldborough Park Farm and finally as I was somewhat late in purchasing the FS15 Gold Expansion…I’m also spending a little bit of time playing Sosnovka. Of the three maps Giants have produced for FS15 (Bjornholm, Westbridge Hills and Sosnovka), the Sosnovka map is by far the most impressive from a vanilla map. This gives me some hope…that FS17 will feature better maps as well. At least I sincerly hope FS17 will include different vanilla maps and not just recycle the same old ones. But I’m getting off track…The fourth map is a brand new release called Smokedown Farm. Much of this map game play will be done in a multiplayer environment.
What I will occassionally do, is release blog posts titled “A Farmer’s Life” documenting through text and images some of the activities I’m doing on the various FS15 maps I’m playing. I’ll share the mods I’m using, why I’m using them and even how I’m using them to improve my game play all while doing my best to preserve “Realism through Simulation”.
Ok, well that’s enough for today.
Until next time…
Happy Farming!!!
J
March 30, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments
I play a lot of simulation based video games. Actually…if the game doesn’t have the word “simulation” in the title, I’m very much liable to pass it by. I also have an extremely narrow definition of the word “simulation” and there are some very popular game titles using the word “simulation” in their name. Some of these titles have absolutely earned the right to be called “simulators” and some have not. In addition to playing simulation based games, I also enjoy watching others via Twitch and YouTube. There are a lot of really good gamers out there and likewise there are a lot of not-so-great gamers. It may surprise you to know that my views of what makes a great simulation gamer versus a not-so-great simulation gamer may have little to do with regards to controlling an aircraft, backing up a truck, seeding a field or driving a train. The reason? We’re all a noob at some point. The majority of the great simulation based gamers don’t have a pilots license, they’ve never driven a vehicle larger than a car and the closest thing they come to running a farm is when they walk through the produce aisle at their local grocery store. For the most part, what makes them great is how much they strive for realism in their gaming style.
Realism through Simulation
I’m not sure if the tagline “Realism through Simulation” has been adopted by anyone. I did Google it and I searched using that phrase on YouTube and nothing really relating to video game play or video gamers popped up, so I’m adopting it for my blog. Realism through Simulation will become my goal as I not only play the various simulation based games I enjoy, but it will also become the threshold for what I write about and how I write about it here on GrizzlyBearSims.com.
Mods, Mods, Mods – The root of all that is evil?
One pitfall I see many gamers fall into with regards to realism has to do with mods. Before I go any further, let me say this. I absolutely love and support the modding community. While you may disagree with what I’m going to say next, I truly believe the modding community has been instrumental in the success of many of the simulation based games I play. Said another way, many of these game titles would have been dead a long time ago without a strong modding community supporting them. Imagine what it would be like to play ETS2, ATS, FS15 etc. without mods?
But some mods are perhaps the root of all that is evil…or certainly go along ways towards breaking realism. Again, before I go further….let me just say that I’m NOT writing this article to instruct anyone how they should play their simulation based games. If you want to haul in the wheat crop pulling a loooooooooonnnnnnnnggggggg train of tippers that is your choice. Likewise, if you want to cultivate a field with a cultivator measuring almost 150 feet, again that is your choice.
Perhaps the reason why I’ve been thinking about my own game play style and choosing to write about it has to do with a Twitch channel I watched recently. I’ll keep the identity of the streamer to myself, but he was clearly struggling and I (and many other viewers) were trying to coach him on a few things. Most of the issues he had were caused by some of the mods he was using. But towards the end of his broadcast he mentioned that he was bored with Farming Simulator 15 because it was too easy. Yes, he was cultivating his field with a 150 foot cultivator.
As I try to wrap this up, no I certainly don’t count the rivets or bolts and I don’t compare color swatches. But for me and how I choose to play these simulation based games…I do strive for authencity. I believe playing simulation based games as authentic as possible, goes a long way towards keeping the level of play from becoming boring. It’s one of the reasons why I will routinely plow AND cultivate a field before harvest. It’s also the reason why I don’t use a 150’ cultivator.
Realisim thorugh Simulation works for me.
Until next time…
Best of luck with your simulation adventures….regardless how you play the game.
J
March 12, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments
I purchased the Milviz 737-200C about two years ago before I cut ties with FSX. At the time I was primarily running FSX and slowly starting to get my feet wet into P3D. This was circa P3D v2.4 timeframe. When I made the move to P3D v3, I also took the time to completely rebuild my system and in doing so I forever cut ties to FSX. The Milviz 737-200C was one aircraft that I was prepared to just say goodbye to forever. Remember I also made the decision to only install flight sim add-ons that had P3D v3.x installers in an effort to keep my system running top-notch. I think the only thing I made an exception to was EZDok. Unfortunately, once you use Ezdok…there just is no going back. But I’m getting off subject now….back to the Milviz.
If you are a registered owner of the Milviz 737-200C, you should have received an email this week regarding the immediate availability of the –200C for P3D v2.x and v3.x. This means Milviz have complete installers for all all variants of flight sim including FSX Classic, FSX Steam and Prepar3D. This is very cool. Best of all, the updated –200C for P3D is available at no additional charge. Thank you Milviz.
If you currently do not own the Milvix 737-200C, then check it out on the Milviz website. This is a great alternative or addition to the PMDG 737.
I truly loved the –200C and now with this awesome news, I will love it once again in P3D v3.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
J
February 26, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments
When I first built my current gaming machine, I purchased and installed the GTX 780Ti (3GB) GPU. At the time I believe more powerful GPU’s were available, but they were also well over $1,000. Two years ago, the 780Ti was approx. $600. My previous gaming machine had the GTX 460 (1GB) model, so I felt the 3GB model would be fine. At the time I was only using my gaming machine for Flight Sim. Both FSX (and P3D) are more CPU intensive programs and really anything over 3GB would be overkill.
But then I began to play other simulation based games such as Farming Sim 2015, Euro Truck 2 and in the past few weeks I’ve been burning up the highways in California and Nevada playing American Truck Simulator. My 780Ti began to show its age with both ETS2 and the new ATS. I really had to dial down the graphics settings to keep my frame rates high enough for the games to be playable. Things seemed to get worse with a recent update to ATS when they introduced the new Kenworth W900 DLC. I’m not the only one that noticed the loss of FPS.
Now having spent so many years flying FSX and now P3D, FPS rates in flight sim just aren’t the same thing as it relates to other games. Gamers may demand FPS rates well above 60 FPS (or even into the 100+ range) with many games. We’ve just never been able to experience that in FSX/P3D. Especially when flying the more complex, payware aircraft (like PMDG) and using add-on scenery, weather etc. etc. etc. But at times when I would drive through the city areas (like LA, SF etc.) my FPS rates would drop into the teens. It was especially noticeable when turning. It was like watching a bad slideshow.
I was able to keep FPS rates in the low 20’s with some tweaks using the Nvidia Inspector. This of course is an old trick we would need to do to get more from FSX. But it still wasn’t to my liking. Plus, when monitoring my GPU, the GPU was running constantly at 99%. The more I thought about it, the more I was leaning towards upgrading my GPU.
Well…I finally pulled the trigger and purchased the GTX 980Ti SC+. This beast of a GPU offers me 3x the performance and 3x the memory of my old 780Ti and it really shows when playing both ATS and ETS2. With max graphic settings, the GTX 980Ti SC+ works at less than 50% capacity. My FPS rates are steady at 60 FPS (even in cities). I’m very pleased.
At the moment I know I’m mostly playing ATS, ETS2 and FS2015. I will return to P3D and I’m hoping for even better performance and visuals with that application.
Until next time…
Happy Simming!!!
J
March 10, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments
It’s never been my intention to use this blog site as a platform to voice political commentary or complain about events in the real world. I’ve mainly kept the topics related to the hobby of flight simulation. However, sometimes events of the real world touch us in such a way that writing about it and sharing feelings can help.
First, let me say that my sincerest condolences are with the families of those passengers and crew of the Malaysia Airlines flight 370 which was lost over the weekend. Like anyone who shares a passion for aviation and flying, I’m following the news cycle as closely as possible. I also know that news of these types of events is very slow at first. As of the updates I’ve been reading on Monday morning (US time) 10 March, basically…the oil slicks which were reported over the weekend do not belong to the missing plane. In addition, other possible wreckage items have also been determined not to be from MH370.
I believe it was sometime Saturday when I heard about the two passengers who were allowed to purchase tickets and board the flight on stolen passports. While I’m not the type of person to immediately play the terrorism card when I hear about a disaster, as more news became available it got me thinking. What are the odds of one of the most reliable aircraft in the history of aviation, along with being operated by an airline with a satisfactory maintenance record just simply falling out of the sky?
Of course, who is to say that passengers fly all the time with stolen passports? Is this a common event? I suppose it is very likely we would not have learned about the stolen passports if the plane would have made it safely to Beijing.
I’ve often felt the further away from the events which took place on the morning of September 11th 2001, the closer to another event like this we were approaching. At least in the US, we seem to be slowly relaxing security to a pre-9/11 timeframe. As a nation, our focus (and that of our leaders) appear to be on other things.
As I’m learning more about these stolen passports, I’m left thinking to myself why do we have such a technology disconnect? Interpol stated they knew about the stolen passports, but no one had checked their databases on stolen documents. Why? Why is this information NOT automatically cross referenced? The idea of identity theft is not new nor is the concept of a person (or persons) using fake and forged documents to gain access to places they shouldn’t have access. Is this just another example of having to wait for tragedy to strike before something is done?
Again…perhaps this happens all the time. Perhaps something occurred with this particular aircraft and the pilots just could not recover…or never had the chance to recover. Will we learn the truth?
Until next time…
Jerry
February 19, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments
Without sacrificing the eye candy.
This is part two of a two-part blog article. Please see and read part one for the clear picture on what I’m talking about.
First, this blog post is titled “How I fixed my OOM issues without sacrificing the eye candy”. Please note the large “I” as in ME. The disclaimer here is this is how I did it. It worked for me, but there is no guarantee it will work for you. In other words, your mileage may vary.
Again, please take the time to read part one to get the full picture.
As I stated towards the end of part one where I described the OOM errors I had only started to receive after many years of using FSX. I DO NOT BLAME PMDG! IT”S NOT PMDG’s FAULT. If you feel I’m wrong about this statement. Then please stop reading.
To recap from part one…
My FSX machine had been running on the same build for about 3 years. I purchased and installed the PMDG T7 about a month ago and experienced my first OOM. As I was having some other challenges on this PC, I decided to do a full and complete rebuild of the machine following Nick’s method and was still experiencing OOM’s when flying the PMDG T7 into payware airports. I followed the recommendations mentioned in Kosta’s Flight Simulation Blog but wasn’t satisfied with losing out on some of the eye candy.
Part Two
I don’t give up easily. I continued reading and searching various forums. The only hopeful piece of information was reading about the possibility of a P3D 64 bit version of their flight simulator. While this is the way forward…it wouldn’t be happening any time soon. Finally I stumbled on this forum thread.
If you read that forum post, you’ll notice that many of the discussions are centered around all that I had previously done and described in Part One. However, if you look at the 9th reply posted by stretch1365 on 07 November 2013 he mentions something called “Steve’s Scenery Fixer”. This is actually a piece of software called SteveFX – DX10 Scenery Fixer and is available from The FlightSim Store. The price is $33 USD.
Based on what I had read in that forum post, this SteveFX – DX10 Scenery Fixer might just help me. It was worth $33 to find out. So I made the purchase, installed the software, read the instructions. I launched the software and performed the changes and enabled DX10 in FSX.
The moment of truth. I knew I could easily determine if I had wasted $33 by flying from KDEN to KLAX in the PMDG T7. So I set my sliders and everything else for what had triggered the OOM’s on approach into KLAX and departed KDEN running ActiveSky weather. I monitored the VAS using the Process Explorer and upon departure from KDEN, FSX was running approx. 2.4GB.
As I began the descent and approach into KLAX I kept my eye on Process Explorer and noticed it stayed under 3GB. I made the exact same approach into KLAX and made my turn onto final for runway 07R. Checking Process Explorer and about 10nm out from KLAX I was still under 3 GB. VAL crept up to slight over 3 GB as I landed. Success????
I conducted another test of loading up a flight from KLAX back to KDEN. Yes, I realize the T7 probably hates these short flights, but just hang in there. As I departed KLAX, heavy cloud cover blanketed the airfield. At take-off I was running a VAS of 2.6GB. No OOM’s and had a safe and happy landing back at KDEN. Success???
OK…it takes more to convince me. I next tested a flight from KDEN to KJFK (FSDT payware). Results were just what I had experienced with the KDEN to KLAX flight. In other words, my VAS does not creep up higher than about 3.2GB. Success???? Maybe….
I will continue to test and do plan to conduct several long-haul payware to payware flights. I will probably start with a KJFK to EGLL and then EGLL back to KDFW. I’ll be sure to post the outcome of these flights. But for now, yes I believe I have reached some level of success with the $33 investment. I’ve also tested many of my other aircraft (payware and freeware) and have not found any issues after the running the SteveFX – DX10 Scenery Fixer software.
Will the SteveFX – DX10 Scenery Fixer software work for you? All things being equal, I would say yes…but there are no guarantees.
Until next time…
Happy Flying !!!
Jerry
February 18, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments
Part One
While I’ve had my share of CTD’s (Crash to Desktop) in FSX over the years, I only recently began experiencing the dreaded Out of Memory (OOM) errors which plaque many. As a result, until I started experiencing the OOM’s I really didn’t know much about them, nor what truly caused these to happen. Likewise, I was also mis-informed about how to prevent them from happening. What? I’m running out of memory? Time to go to the hardware store and buy more RAM. WRONG!!!!!
Let’s break this down…..
FSX is a 32 bit Windows application. While I (and many others) suggest running Windows 7 64-bit OS on your Flight Sim computer, FSX is still a 32 bit application. Even with FSX installed on a Windows 7 64 bit computer, the maximum amount of VAS (virtual address space) available for FSX (and all the goodies installed for FSX) is just 4 GB. But hold the presses….you have 6, 8 or more GB of RAM. What is going on? Again, due to FSX and its 32 bit restriction, the best you can expect is a max of 4GB of VAS. Any more will trigger the OOM error and bring much frustration to your FS experience.
Now if you are running FSX on a Win 7 64 bit OS, consider yourself lucky. If you were running FSX on a 32 bit OS the best you would have is 2GB of VAS (3GB if tweaked). To my knowledge, there are no tweaks to get any more than 4GB in the 64 bit OS scenario.
There is a ton of knowledge published by many wonderful flight sim enthusiasts regarding these OOM errors and how best to prevent them from happening. Perhaps one of the best I’ve read is Kosta’s Flight Simulation World blog site. The link to his specific article on FSX, OOM and Addon VAS Usage is here.
Again, I’ve been flight simming since the early 1980’s and have been an FSX user since day one of its release. I’ve been running FSX on a Windows 7 64-bit OS computer with 6GB of RAM for over 3 years and I only began experiencing OOM errors. So what was my tipping point? Before I tell you what ended up being the straw that broke the camels back, allow me to give a brief history of the last 30 days.
For perhaps the past six months or so I’ve been saying to myself that I felt it was time to do a full and complete rebuild of my FSX machine. I’d been having a variety of issues (mostly performance issues) with the machine which had been running for about 3 years on this build. However, being the CEO of a relatively new VA, I just didn’t want to take the time away from flying to do a full reinstall.
I purchased the PMDG T7 about six weeks ago and was starting the process of learning to fly this beautiful aircraft. I read the manual and I watched a few great Youtube videos. The time was ready for me to make a flight from KDEN to KDFW. Yes, a short-haul flight in a long-haul aircraft. But I was limited on time and familiar with both airports…so figured it was a good first flight.
With exception of dragging the tail on take off, the flight was uneventful until I reached about 30 miles out of KDFW. I began hearing a dinging sound which I had never heard before. In my mind I’m trying to remember if I read anything in the PMDG manual about some type of audible warning. I had no visible errors on the T7. OK…no worries I’ll land at KDFW and then investigate what I did wrong to cause the dinging bell. Then just a few minutes later….I received my very first OOM error message and FSX shut down. Bummer…..
Remember, I had never experienced an OOM error before and with some of the other issues going on with my FSX machine…I decided the time was now to do a full reinstall of EVERYTHING.
When I build or rebuild my FSX machine, I follow the very sound advice outlined here in Nick’s FSX Bible for installing FSX. So after spending a couple of days getting Windows 7 setup and getting FSX installed and the add-ons, I was ready to once again take flight. But I also wanted to take the cautious approach and I made very good notes on what I installed and in what order. The PMDG T7 was one of the last payware aircraft I installed and was one of the last I got around to test.
As vAL (my virtual airline) continues to grow, we will expand and have plans to use the T7 to expand our cargo operations outside of North America. We will probably offer a freeware paint version of our aircraft and offer the PMDG payware version. In anticipation (still a few weeks out) of adding the T7, I needed to resume my practice in this awesome aircraft. So I loaded up another short flight (KDEN to KDFW) just like before and started my journey. Success. I landed in KDFW with no issues. Over the next few days I completed many other flights all over the US in many different types of aircraft (payware and default/freeware) and had no issues.
One other point I want to make. I love add-on scenery. I have just about everything in Orbx North America catalog and have all the FSDT US airports and also now own the Orbx FTX Global. My new FSX build really makes all the airports come to life and regardless if I’m flying VFR or IFR, low and slow or high and fast, it all looks good. I’ve really been pleased with the effort I put into the new build.
On Saturday, I completed a flight from KDEN to KMIA (default FSX to default FSX airport) in the PMDG T7 with no issue. However on Sunday I decided it was time to fly from KDEN to KLAX (default FSX airport to FSDT payware airport). The departure from KDEN was uneventful (no tail drag) and as I was approaching KLAX (about 30 miles out) I began hearing that blasted dinging sound. KLAX was landing west to east and as I made my turn to final out over the Pacific, OOM ERROR! DOH!!!!
How was this possible? Why did this happen? Is it PMDG’s fault? Most importantly, what must I do to fix this from happening?
I began reading and learning about OOM’s. Just about everything I read was telling me things I really didn’t want to hear. Suggestions such as disabling scenery I’m not using. Why? Why would I need to do this? I don’t have these issues with any other aircraft. I was starting to regret my PMDG purchase. But I forced myself to keep reading. To keep learning.
Because I so enjoyed flying the PMDG T7, I was willing to start moving sliders, backing AI traffic down and disabling scenery. I made a few small adjustments and began another flight from KDEN to KLAX. Boom….same place…OOM. Geez…. Really???
Oh, before I forget. I did install the Process Explorer software which is mentioned on Kosta’s blog site. Even with the tweaks I mentioned above, I was still maxing out VAS on approach into KLAX. More cuts would be needed.
I turned AI traffic down to almost nothing. I turned off ActiveSky weather and used FSX weather to setup a flight on a clear day. Finally I deactivated ALL add-on scenery with exception of FTX Global and KLAX. I once again departed KDEN and headed west to KLAX. I performed the same approach as I had done the two previous attempts and made my turn out over the Pacific. On final I was watching the VAS and it was creeping up, up, up. Just as the T7 touched down on runway 07R the VAS hit 4GB and the dinging started.
While I was successful at getting the aircraft parked and FSX shut down without the OOM error. What this was telling me was I would never be able to fly a long-range route and probably not be able to fly from payware airport to payware airport. I really didn’t like these terms….But I continued to turn down the sliders and made one more attempt. BINGO…I was able to fly from KDEN to KLAX without the OOM dings and my VAS stayed around 3.5 GB. But it was rather boring looking outside. I guess this is what it would be like if I wanted to fly the T7.
Now let me just quickly say that I do not blame PMDG. While the PMDG T7 appears to be the only aircraft that pushes me over my VAS limit, this is not PMDG’s fault. Remember, FSX is a 32 bit application with restrictions as I outlined in the beginning of this blog post. Should PMDG NOT have pushed the envelope as they did with the T7? Some may say PMDG should not have…but I say…Push it baby!!! It’s the only way we’re going to move past FSX. But this is another story.
I will tell you that I’m not satisfied with what I must do to fly the PMDG T7. I’ll tell you what I’ve done to resolve the issues in part two in the coming days. Stay tuned….
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
December 28, 2012 / admin / 0 Comments
I’m increasing my collection of add-on scenery for the European region and just recently purchased the Aerosoft version of Gibraltar LXGB for FSX. This is a fantastic little airport and reminds me of my St. Maarten TNCM package I have from FlyTampa. I currently own scenery from Aerosoft, FlyTampa, FSDT, Orbx, and UK2000 and truly love them all.
I suppose one can quickly go broke on purchasing add-on scenery. One criteria I attempt to use in making a decision on whether to purchase a particular scenery package is the frequency I think I may use it along with just how much more the scenery package will enhance FSX. I really enjoy the KMIA to TNCM route in either a 737 or 757.
I’ve recently performed a lot of flights out of both London Heathrow and Gatwick, so adding those packages from UK2000 was an easy decision. I also picked up the UK2000 package for London City as that is a really neat airport and one I fly into in real life every other year or so. Plus I’m really looking forward to completing the EGLC-EINN-KJFK flight in an Airbus 318 soon.
Another factor I use in my decision is the level of difficulty a particular airport may offer. Perhaps better known as the “Wow” factor. I watched a History Channel program a few years ago called “Most Extreme Airports”. Gibraltar is identified as the 5th most extreme airport. If you are not familiar with this History Channel program, or just want to watch it again. It is available onYouTube. Fast forward to minute 33:00 for the Gibraltar LXGB segment.
Our simulated flight today is the British Airways flight 490 from London Heathrow to Gibraltar in the Airbus A320. Gate to gate time is 2 hours and 50 minutes. Our departure from Heathrow was uneventful.
Our route today
BAW490 departing EGLL runway 27L
Conditions for Gibraltar are showing winds 090 at 6kt. We’ll be landing on runway 09 which is the more difficult approach.
Thick clouds and light turbulence as we approach the southern coast of Spain.
Clearing as we continue the descent.
Approaching Victor
Flying the published approach and configured at gear down and flaps 3 upon crossing the 5 mile radar fix.
Beginning the turn after crossing the 3 mile radar fix. Airport and runway clearly in sight.
Just a slight cross wind and hoping the aircraft ahead will soon exit the runway.
BAW 490 Clear to land runway 09.
Slowing with plenty of runway to spare.
At the gate.
The Rock of Gibraltar in the background.
Terminal at Gibraltar
Additional detail shown for the LXGB scenery. Need to watch those towers on departure.
All-in-all I’m very pleased with my purchase of the Aerosoft Gibraltar scenery for FSX. If you like flying into and out of some of the worlds most extreme airports where weather, neighboring obstacles, traffic and shorter than normal runways are the featured attraction, then Gibraltar is an add-on I recommend.
Now to return back to Heathrow along with 127 vacationers and crew so that we can plan the next adventure.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
JT
The highly anticipated Dovetail Games Flight School arrived on Tuesday via Steam just in time for summer. If you are new to the world of flight simulation, during the summer of 2014 Dovetail Games obtained the rights from Microsoft to distribute Microsoft Flight Simulator X and more importantly develop the next flight simulator in the series. Dovetail Games released Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition in December of that same year.
