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Geek Culture / Pointless flight sim fun

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Matt Rock
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 06:25 Edited at: 6th Aug 2006 07:01
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I'm going to attempt the ultimate in nerdiness for Flight Sim fans... a flight around the world in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 100% realism settings (no slewing or other cheats), including real-world weather (for those of you who haven't played MSFS, it has real-world weather that updates frequently, so if it's really raining where you're flying, its raining on your make-believe plane ). I'm going to do it (or at least attempt it) in a Beechcraft King Air Type 350, flying one or two 200nm-400nm legs a day. I have most of my route figured out using Google Earth and the in-game map system, so my flight from Binghamton NY USA to Vancouver BC Canada is routed, but now I need to find airports that are no more than 400 nm apart (200-300 preferably), between Vancouver Canada and Wales Alaska so I can cross the straight into Russia. Has anyone else attempted this? Know of a good flight route? I've found airports between them, but there's no telling how long their runways are... not that it's really important in a King Air. I think the real trouble will be in Russia and China, most of it looks pretty rural and I'd rather not land in fields or anything. Anyway, this is the geekiest thing I've ever done (I think), any notable landmarks I should visit during the trip (and any airports worth stopping over at) are welcome

Edit: I found the routes up through Alaska and into Anadyr Ugolnyye Kopi Russia... then I'm stopped entirely lol. The nearest airfield that I can find is 1,100 miles away... well out of the King Air's "comfort range" (the range I can fly without worrying about running out of fuel, or getting too bored and giving up lol). At about 210 knots, 1,100 miles is a hefty distance I think... then again, I'm not a real pilot hehe.


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Osiris
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 07:15
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Use a plane with a gun, take out your anger on unsuspecting people below...

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Steam Assassin
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 07:16
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Well, good luck with that, and I hope you don't fall asleep and crash into the ocean.


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...Internet? What the hell is that!
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Gil Galvanti
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 07:45
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hehe good luck, farthest I ever flew in flight simulator 98 (i think it, maybe it was 2000), was a 30 minute flight from chicago to some small town that I found along the way . Is 2004 good by the way? worth the money?

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 08:48 Edited at: 6th Aug 2006 08:48
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How long will this take you to do exactly? It seems like it would be work after the first 10 minutes.

Matt Rock, you should go make a game or something If you're that bored, you could do some modeling for me or something.


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Matt Rock
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 10:21 Edited at: 6th Aug 2006 10:28
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I'm already doing two different games, hoping to release both by late August. But I need something consistant to take my mind off of real-life stuff while trying to focus on make-believe stuff (in the two games), and playing games is life's ultimate distraction I spend about 4-8 hours per day working on games, seven days a week, so this will be a welcomed change of pace I think.

If I'm flying two hours a day for a few weeks I should be able to do it. So far it's about 5,070 from here to that air strip in Russia. At an approximate average speed of 210 knots per hour, which is "almost" the same as mph (there's a difference but eh, this is all approximate anyway) it should take me about 24 hours to get there. That's about 1/3rd of the trip, so (just guessing here) maybe 72 hours total, broken up of course. So if I fly 2 hours each day, that's about a month and a week of total flight time. And on days when my girlfriend is playing Sims and distracting the crap out of me, I'll probably fly 4 hours a day, so let's just say for arguement's sake it ends up being around a month of flying to get around the world, from NY to Russia to China to India to France to the UK to Greenland and back to NY (with over a hundred fueling stops in-between, no doubt... it's ten stops just to cross the US and eleven stops between Vancouver and Russia). Each time I land, I quit, and I fly the next leg the next day. Regardless of what my friends think, it's possible, and I'll prove that in the nerdiest way possible

Edit: Yes, if you liked FS2000 you'll LOVE 2004. The real-life, real-time weather is awesome, it has expansive tutorials and flight training, and it has a ton of nifty airplanes (and more if you're into modding your games). Cessnas, Beechcrafts, Boeing 737, 747, and 777s, water planes, and dozens of other newer aircraft, plus helicopters (awesome), and if you like older planes, you can fly the Wright Brothers plane, the Ford Tri-Motor (as unrealistically seen in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"), the old barnstormers, and a bunch more It has life-like ATC stuff (with voiceovers) and 24,000 real-world airports (I haven't yet found a place where the game hasn't simulated the airport... even small private ones and seaplane "runways" are in there). And the engine failures and mechanical problems can be randomized with more efficiency... you can actually experience the engine icing over Pretty awesome game if you like flight sims... imo, the best I've seen. Flight Sim X is coming out around Christmas, or so I've heard.


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Dave J
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 10:29
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Quote: "I spend about 4-8 hours per day working on games"

Quote: "So if I fly 2 hours each day,"


So I'm assuming you've found a way to fit more than 24 hours into one day? It's hard enough for me to find a couple free hours on a good day, let alone 4-8 every day!


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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 10:46
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Matt, what do you do for a living? You have an awful lot of time for games (making and playing) and I assume that you sleep and spend time with your girlfriend.

I mean, I know you're around my age, so you've got to have a job to pay for everything.


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Matt Rock
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 12:30
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I do a sort of "historical consulting"... hard to explain without a 3-hour thread but Boring (note the capital "B") to no end. I have a window between now and October 1st where I'm paid to wait around... literally. So in that window, I'm going to release at least two games and fly around the world. Wow, that sounds so much cooler than it really is lol. "What did you do in September Matt?" "Oh, my team made two games and released them, and in my free time I flew around the world" lol. Anyway, certain members of my team are insisting that I quit the day job and work on games full-time. "put my money where my mouth is" so to speak. If only I could do that... but as far as I'm concerned, until October 1st anyway, making games *is* my full-time job hehe.

I found my flight route. If I push the King Air to its limits I can get into Japan from Russia. If I cruise at my maximum altitute with my fuel flow at a minimum, I should be able to coast from Anadyr Ugolnyye Kopi Russia to Petropavlovsk-Kamchats Russia, then it's a slightly shorter (but still rediculously long) stint from Kamchats to Nakashibetsu Japan. If it weren't for my recent need to download Google Earth for work, I never would have seriously tried this (I almost did before, but gave up in Vancouver). Have you guys played around with it? It's insane! You can measure the distance from your house to your friend's house in centimeters lol. If you get Google Earth, do a search on Area 51


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David T
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 13:39
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Wooow - another plane nerd!!

I found a routing for one of my friends to do a RTW trip in a 737. Involved crossing hte pacific via New Zealand / Fiji / Hawaii. For going over the top, I suggest going up BC, across alaska and over to Magadan - Russia. Don't know the exact lengths. I'll work it out on the GCM.

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The Nerd
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 13:43 Edited at: 6th Aug 2006 13:45
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Hehe... I also play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 sometimes. Not that I have tried to fly any very long routes yet! The longest route I've ever taken was on nothing more than 1 and a half hour.

I really can't figure out those big Boeing... I'm always stuck when I need to land it. So I always pick one of those small planes. I like those!

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 14:04
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Matt, where can we see examples of your, and your team's, work? Your web page doesn't help, it's full of rants, and Cheney Hunter. I thought it would be a bit more professional, especially since you and your team make educational programs for companies.

Do you have an online portfolio or showcase that you show prospective clients?


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David T
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 16:04
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Quote: "I really can't figure out those big Boeing... I'm always stuck when I need to land it. So I always pick one of those small planes. I like those!"


Quite easy - get your speed down, flaps deployed then use the ILS to guide you in

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The Nerd
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 16:11
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Quote: "Quite easy - get your speed down, flaps deployed then use the ILS to guide you in "


Yeah... I guess it has to be my approach that's very bad... Because with those boeings, you have to make a pretty good approach to get a good landing. I keep trying to make a good approach by looking at the map, but no luck. I have fun in the small planes anyway. But your flight plans seems to take a little longer though...

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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 17:19
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I usually fly the FireFox. It's very good. You have to download it before you can use it though.


Since the other one was scaring you guys so much...
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Jeku
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 22:53
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Wow, that actually sounds like fun, Matt. I should check out the game from work.

By the way, YVR (Vancouver Int'l Airport) is pretty modern-- just revamped and millions of taxpayers money spent, so it's pretty nice. How much of the airports can you see? You obviously can't walk around inside them.... can you?

Anyways, sounds cool.

By the way, why do you need to plan out your own routes? That sounds like fun, but are there real pre-built int'l routes in the game? And for the newer planes, can you have auto-pilot kick in so you can look at the scenery?


"I understand creative people. After all, I worked with towel designers." - Ray Kassar, former head of Atari
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David T
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 23:02
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Quote: "By the way, YVR (Vancouver Int'l Airport) is pretty modern-- just revamped and millions of taxpayers money spent, so it's pretty nice. How much of the airports can you see? You obviously can't walk around inside them.... can you?"


It's beautiful. I flew to/from there last summer. Indoor waterfalls!!

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Gil Galvanti
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 23:04 Edited at: 6th Aug 2006 23:04
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wow, flight simulator x looks amazingly awesome . *adds game to games I want list*. Are all those small buildings really 3D or is it just a really good illusion?

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Matt Rock
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 23:43 Edited at: 9th Aug 2006 08:47
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I'm not a big fan of bigger planes, the weather seems to just bounce off of anything bigger than a 747 hehe. I my Beechcraft King Air One thing I absolutely love to do is fly into real-world hurricanes the wind can literally turn a smaller plane a full 160 degrees off course and up and down and everywhere else lol. You'll see a lot of people on MSN flying cessnas and stuff whenever there's a Hurricane down south, lots of fun if you're brave hehe.

I'm a VFR pilot, and I want to do the whole flight around the world VFR as opposed to using ILS. When the ATC in bigger airports won't let me land VFR, I usually re-route to the nearest tiny airport (like the small private ones) and land in the crappiest of weather, hehe. Small airports also don't seem to care if you take off in bad weather, and you don't end up circling waiting for your turn to land, hehe.

@ Jeku: Unfortunately, you can't walk around inside the airports, you can only see them from the air, and you can see the runways and stuff too, but that's about it. I *think* they laid it out using GPS, because one of the game's few innacuracies can be found in smaller, regional airports. The buildings are usually where they should be, but some are miscolored. But it's still cool hehe. The runways are properly labeled, too

To plot out your flight routes, they have an in-game Flight Planner, where you choose the airport you want to leave from and the airport you want to arrive at, with a map that you can use to find airports. But finding desolate airports can often be somewhat difficult, so that's where Google Earth comes in. With Transportation markers turned on, Google Earth can find airports quicker than the game can... you don't have to be super-zoomed to find them, and it's free, too

@ Curtis: My website is only really used for goofy stuff. Cheney Hunter wasn't really a serious game, it was made rediculously fast and has a few bugs as a result. The serious apps we make for local companies are held on CD-R's, because we usually walk right into the businesses and set up face-to-face meetings to showcase our stuff. Until recently, there hasn't really been a need for a website, but with these two games coming out in late August, both of which are going to be shareware, we're scrambling to get our site up and running as soon as we can. Hopefully it'll be up in a week or two... I'll let you know when it is

Anyway, in case anyone is wondering, here's my flight plan so far. If you're going to use my flightplan, please note that many of the airports between Vancouver and Tokyo are small and rural... not ideal for bigger planes like Learjets and Boeings

EDIT (8/9): Had to change my Deadwood stop because the airport isn't apparently there, lol. Flying straight to Billings from Aberdeen SD USA
[LEG I] [Start to Canada]
330 - Binghamton to Cleveland
280 - Cleveland to Chicago
340 - Chicago to Minneapolis
250 - Minneapolis to Aberdeen SD
??? - Aberdeen SD to Billings Montana
190 - Billings Montana to Butte Montana
240 - Butte Mt. to Coeur D' Alene Idaho
260 - CDA to Seattle
120 - Seattle to Vancouver CN (First stop in Canada) (End First Leg)
===============================================
Approximate: 2,530 miles

[LEG II] [Vancouver Canada to Anadyr Ugolnyye Kopi Russia]
280 - Vancouver CN to Namu Canada
200 - Namu CN to Prince Rupert CN
230 - Prince Rupert CN to Kake CN
100 - Kake CN to Juneau Alaska USA
160 - Juneau Alaska USA to Whitehorse Canada
270 - Whitehorse CN to Dawson CN
270 - Dawson CN to Fairbanks Alaska USA
130 - Fairbanks Alaska to Ralph Calhoun Alaska
270 - Ralph Calhoun Alaska to Koyuk Alaska
210 - Koyuk Alaska to Wales Alaska
420 - Wales Alaska USA to Anadyr Ugolnyye Kopi Russia (First stop in Russia) (End Second Leg)
===================================================================
Approximate: 2,540 miles (5,070 total so far)

[LEG III] [Anadyr Ugolnyye Kopi Russia to Shanghai China]
1050 - Anadyr Ugolnyye Kopi Russia to Petropavlovsk-Kamchats Russia
900 - Petropavlovsk-Kamchats Russia to Nakashibetsu Japan (first stop in Japan)
110 - Nakashibetsu Japan to Obihiro Japan
270 - Obihiro Japan to Akita Japan
270 - Akita Japan to Tokyo Japan
200 - Tokyo Japan to Nagoya Japan
240 - Nagoya Japan to Hiroshima Japan
380 - Hiroshima Japan to Cheju South Korea (only stop in South Korea)
320 - Cheju South Korea to Pudong International Airport Shanghai China (First Stop in China) (End Third Leg)
===========================================================================
Approximate: 3,740 miles (8,810 total so far)

[LEG IV] [Shanghai China to Athens Greece]
390 - Shanghai China to Changbei China
170 - Changbei China to Changsha China
290 - Changsha China to Guilin/ Liangjiang China
460 - Guilin/ Liangjiang China to Kunming/ Wuchia Pa China
470 - Kunming/ Muchia Pa China to Annisaton (Mandalay) Burma (only stop in Burma)
390 - Annisaton (Mandalay) Burma to Dacca Bangladesh (only stop in Bangladesh)
410 - Dacca Bangladesh to Kathmandu Nepal (only stop in Nepal)
510 - Kathmandu Nepal to New Delhi India (first stop in India)
470 - New Delhi India to Ahmadabad India
370 - Ahmadabad India to Karachi Pakistan (first stop in Pakistan)
310 - Karachi Pakistan to Gwadar Pakistan
280 - Gwadar Pakistan to Masqat/ Matrah (Seeb International) Omar (only stop in Omar)
220 - Masqat/ Matrah Omar to Dubai International United Arab Emirates (only stop in United Arab Emirates)
300 - Dubai United Arab Emirates to Al Muharraq Bahrain (only stop in Bahrain)
260 - Al Muharraq Bahrain to Kuwait International/ Al Kuwayt Kuwait (only stop in Kuwait)
350 - Al Kuwayt Kuwait to Rasheed Bagdad Iraq (only stop in Iraq)
510 - Rasheed Bagdad Iraq to Amman Marka International Amman Jordan (only stop in Jordan)
50 - Amman Marka International Amman Jordan to Jerusalem Israel (only stop in Israel)
140 - Jerusalem Israel to Beirut International Beirut Lebanon (only stop in Lebanon)
340 - Beirut Lebanon to Antalya Turkey (only stop in Turkey)
390 - Antalya Turkey to Athens Greece (First stop in Greece) (End Fourth Leg)
======================================================
Approximate: 7,080 miles (15,890 total so far)

[LEG V] [Athens Greece to London England]
210 - Athens Greece to Ioannina (or Loannina) Greece
170 - Ioannina Greece to Casale Italy (first stop in Italy)
190 - Casale Italy to Naples Italy
120 - Naples Italy to Rome Italy
170 - Rome Italy to Pisa Galileo Galilei (Pisa) Italy
170 - Pisa Italy to Torino Italy
220 - Torino Italy to Clermont-Ferrand (Aulnat) France (first stop in France)
220 - Clermont-Ferrand (Aulnat) France to Paris France
210 - Paris France to London England (first stop in England) (End Fifth Leg)
===================================================
Approximate: 1,680 miles (17,570 total so far)

[LEG VI] [London England to Nuuk Greenland]
150 - London England to Manchester England
180 - Manchester England to Prestwick Scotland (first stop in Scotland)
200 - Prestwick Scotland to Stornoway Scotland
270 - Stornoway Scotland to Vagar, Faroe Islands (first stop in Denmark territory)
310 - Vagar DT to Egilsstadir Iceland (first stop in Iceland)
240 - Egilsstadir Iceland to Reykjavik Domestic [Reykjavik] Iceland
460 - Reykjavik Iceland to Kulusuk Greenland (first stop in Greenland)
440 - Kulusuk Greenland to Nuuk/ Godthab (Nuuk) Greenland (end of Sixth Leg)
=======================================================
Approximate: 2,250 miles (19,820 total so far)

[LEG VII] [Nuuk Greenland to Halifax Nova Scotia]
570 - Nuuk Greenland to Lake Harbour Canada
340 - Lake Harbour Canada to Kuulluaq Newfoundland (Canada)
240 - Kuulluaq Newfoundland to Schefferville Canada
420 - Schefferville Canada to St. Augustin Canada
300 - St. Augustin Canada to Iles De La Madaleine Canada
200 - Iles de la Madaleine Canada to Halifax International [Nova Scotia] Canada
=======================================================
Approximate: 2,070 miles (21,890 total so far)

[LEG VIII] [Halifax Nova Scotia to Finish]
350 - Halifax International [Nova Scotia] Canada to Portland International Jetport Maine USA
100 - Portland Maine to Boston Mass (Logan Airport)
260 - Boston Mass to Binghamton New York [Finish, End of Flight Around the World]
===========================================================
Approximate: 710 miles (22,600 miles total)


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Jeku
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 23:48
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You're stopping in Iraq, hehehe. Why don't you stop in Pyongyang Int'l Airport in North Korea too? I would love to see how they did that in the game.


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Osiris
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Posted: 6th Aug 2006 23:51
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AH wouldant it be funny if they didnt give you clearance to land in Iraq You should see if you can find a place to land in groom lake, NV

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TDP Enterprises
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 00:49
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Quote: "wouldant it be funny if they didnt give you clearance to land in Iraq"
wouldnt be a true simulator if they did

Just playin around, learnin' HTML, staying in touch with DBP, trying different things here and there, and still dreaming...
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Matt Rock
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 02:40 Edited at: 7th Aug 2006 02:56
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They'll grant you access anywhere, unfortunately. although I can't find Area 51 in the flight sim... you can see it on Google Earth (just type in "Area 51" into the search thing), so sometime I should fly to the lat/ long and actually try to find it I hear there are mods you can download with realistic ATC, so you couldn't get access to Bagdad or North Korea (allegedly they updated via the news... I haven't found these mods though). I'll take screenshots of any locations that you guys want to see (as long as they're along my planned flight route... fuel is an issue!).

Edit: Another issue with the game that I noticed last year while hopping around in Europe... ATC EVERYWHERE is in English. When you fly into Russia, the ATC should speak Russian imo. I'm sure that's next to impossible to do, but with any luck that'll be a feature in MSFS X

I just finished the first short leg of my trip. Here's my personal flight journal entry for the stint. I figured I'd keep one so that when it's all over, I'll know how much fuel I used, the actual distance traveled, the flight time I spent in the air, etc.

Quote: "[1] 270nm - KBGM (Binghamton NY USA) to KCLE (Cleveland Ohio USA)
Distance Traveled: 267.3 nm (est = 267 nm)
Fuel Consumed: 138.9 gallons (est = 100.1 gallons)
Flight Time: 01:12 (est = 00:54)
Notes: Flight was pretty uneventful, shy of the turbulence I always get near the great lakes. I flew at altitudes between 7k and 16.1k, with an average speed of around 190 to 200 knots per hour. Landing in Cleveland was somewhat rough... haven't flown in a while (a few months at least) but I'm alive nevertheless. I used up a lot more fuel than I was supposed to; my fuel flow gauge was kept at a steady "4" for the most part. Still, I refueled and I'll need to keep an eye on fuel flow on future stints."

Note: "est" figures are the figures estimated by the game. The first number is the actual figure (distance, fuel, time)

Another Note: I went ahead and plotted out the approximated flight all the way to Binghamton. Right after I post this I'll edit my above flight-plan post with the new waypoints. So far this is a pretty fun adventure


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Jrock
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 04:32
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Damn I wish I knew how to "plot courses" and "land".

Anyway, I own this game too. May I recommend a Caravan Grand Amphibian? Because if you run out of fuel you can always land on water.

Have you ever flown through the alps in a Cessena? Its b-e-autiful. Anyway, whats that one level that makes you fly a 737 in a blizzard with 90mph+ winds? God I can never beat that level.

Well, sounds intresting. Keep us updated.

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Matt Rock
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 05:59
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Plotting courses is pretty easy. When you're in the game on the plane/ weather/ map screen, click "Flight Planner." Then find the airports you want to fly to and from, then plot the course. It's really easy after you've done it a few times. What I do is I find the course I want using Google Earth, then I find it again in the game using the flight planner, then voila, I'm traveling

Landing isn't too hard either... again, you need to practice it a few times to get the hang of it. First, decend to about 5,000 feet above the runway and line up with it. You'll want to be at least a mile away, so you can see the runway but you aren't right on top of it. Then, slow your airspeed by decreasing your throttle and lowering your flaps a bit (F7 to lower a bit, F8 to lower fully). This will slow your airspeed even more. Descend until you're not far from the runway, then fully deploy your flaps to drastically reduce your airspeed. You'll want it just barely over your stalling speed. As you approach on final, increase the throttle and decrease it to keep your airspeed just above stalling level. With your landing gear down (G key), you should slowly glide downward for a soft landing on the runway. Practice a few times with clear weather at a familiar airport just to get the hang of it, and try touch-and-go landings, too. Anyway, that's how I land my plane. You could try to acquire the in-game pilot's license; by the time you get to "private" you should have a great understanding of how to land the plane and perform true takeoffs, plus a bunch of other need-to-know maneuvers


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CattleRustler
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 06:03
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Matt=Raven

im convinced

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Matt Rock
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 06:13
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Let me quote you: NO! Why on earth would you even begin to compare me to the likes of him? I wasn't mean to anyone in this thread, I didn't do anything wrong, I wasn't arguing with anyone. No one put a gun in your mouth and ordered you to read this thread, either, if you're implying that you're annoyed by my posting it. I'd like it if this were the one thread I've ever made where someone didn't come in and start a fight.


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Gil Galvanti
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 06:24
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I'd like to see a shot of Baghdad and that airport, lol.

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Osiris
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 06:38
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Me too, tis probably a hole in the ground with a strech of semi flat durt.

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Saikoro
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 06:56
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Me too, tis probably a hole in the ground with a strech of semi flat dirt.


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Jimmy
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 07:02
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Me too, tis probably a smrech in the hole flat ground with a dirt semi.

Bloggy
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Jeku
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 07:53
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Osiris - Quit double posting. I've already removed your other double posts but this is just getting annoying


"I understand creative people. After all, I worked with towel designers." - Ray Kassar, former head of Atari
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Matt Rock
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 08:15
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When I get to Badgad I'll take a few screenshots. The areas I'm really looking forward to are Pisa Italy, Jerusalem (looks cool in G.E.), and Kathmandu Nepal (Mount Everest should be neat to fly past). Where is Mount Fuji in Japan? Like, what city is it closest too? Tokyo? I want to see that as well.


"In an interstellar burst, I'm back to save the universe"
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David T
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 13:13
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Quote: "Edit: Another issue with the game that I noticed last year while hopping around in Europe... ATC EVERYWHERE is in English. When you fly into Russia, the ATC should speak Russian imo. I'm sure that's next to impossible to do, but with any luck that'll be a feature in MSFS X"


That's how it is in the real world They could do to put on accents though. Thee voices are a bitb oring. I swear the same woman does Manchester, heathrow and Vancouver.

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CattleRustler
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 14:41
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Matt, it was a reference to the LENGTH of your posts, and was merely a joke.

relax

Science, Mathematics, and Physics do not lie - only people do.
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Saikoro
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 15:06
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Quote: "Matt, it was a reference to the LENGTH of your posts, and was merely a joke.

relax"

You've gotta admit that you guys have been hounding him a lot lately, so I think he's every right to be a little uptight when it comes to that kind of thing.


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David T
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 15:16
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A little smily goes a long way

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 15:31
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Matt Rock has been on good behavior lately. He's probably gnawing at his wrists wanting to bash some loosely connected political or demographic group, but he's been doing okay


Come see the WIP!
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Jrock
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 18:25
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Quote: "(Mount Everest should be neat to fly past). "


Yes, the detail (if you have a good graphics card) is quite stunning.

@Matt- Do you have any idea why Flight Sim crashes on me sometimes when I click on a button? It is quite annoying.

Maybe they released some patches??

By the way, thanks for the info. I am pretty good at taking off (as you put it, truly) and I can land okay, but lining up the runway is still somewhat of a hassle.

Jrock is pronouned Jay-Rock
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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 19:15
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I'm gonna hazzard a guess that button is either "Engine Off" and you crash into the ground, or its the close button...

[center]
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Jrock
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 19:25
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Quote: "I'm gonna hazzard a guess that button is either "Engine Off" and you crash into the ground, or its the close button... "


Ignoring the Sarcasm, it actually happens before I enter a scenario, like when I click "Create a Flight", "Select a Flight", ect.

When I say "crash" I mean the game closes out and asks me to send an error report to Microsoft... excuse the pun.

Jrock is pronouned Jay-Rock
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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 19:29
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Quote: "Ignoring the Sarcasm"

Spoil sport...

[center]
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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 19:36
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I don't like the annoying "Rebuilding databases" about once a month... it really gets on my nerves. But FS2004 is ok.


Since the other one was scaring you guys so much...
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Matt Rock
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 20:20
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@ JRock: I had that problem too. It got so bad that I had to re-install the game. I think it was caused by a bad mod, probably an airplane that didn't work properly or something.

@ Nex: I hate that "rebuilding databases" too! I don't understand how it works or why the game needs to do it, and it takes a good 30 seconds... yuck.

In a few hours I'm going to fly from Cleveland to Chicago. I'll post my "flight journal" for anyone interested I'm hoping to inspire a few other people to try a flight around the world so I feel a little less like a massive dork lol


"In an interstellar burst, I'm back to save the universe"
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CattleRustler
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 21:23
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Quote: "A little smily goes a long way"

true David, my mistake - in few places on the forums last night.



my apologies Matt

Science, Mathematics, and Physics do not lie - only people do.
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Matt Rock
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 22:25 Edited at: 7th Aug 2006 22:28
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np CR, I took a harmless joke the wrong way.

@ JRock: This probably isn't the proper way to line up for the runway, but it works for me:

In most planes there is a GPS button that brings up your GPS screen. If you zoom in close enough to an airport, you'll see narrow (thin) green arrow-areas (as shown in the picture below). Those are the ILS Active runways. Now, click on the map button and find the runway that the ATC has cleared you to land on (usually the active). Using the GPS, you can enter a circling pattern around the runway until you reach the area where the green arrow is aiming, then you just follow the green arrow in and you'll be perfectly aligned with the runway.

In the picture I'm posting, I'm at the Cleveland Airport (KCLE is the airport ID). Unfortunately I took this picture with the GPS window covering the map button, but its represented with a compass star. If you look at the Master Warning light on my plane (that's on because I'm parked with my engines off, in case anyone is wondering) and follow a direct horizontal line towards the right, you'll see four boxes (next to the autofeather lights, above the flaps guage and automatic pilot buttons). The image of the radio tower with little lightning bolts shooting out of it is the radio stack. right next to it, the image of the satellite dish... that will bring up your GPS (which can be re-sized however you want).



And in case anyone is wondering, yes, every single gauge in that screenshot fully works But it isn't as difficult or overwhelming as it might appear. I usually only pay attention to five of the gauges: My airspeed, artificial horizon, climb indicator, altimeter, and fuel flow. I glance at the others every so often to make sure nothing is going haywire, but those are the ones that I use the most often. If you look at the red "master caution" light, the artificial horizon is directly below it (the blue and brown box with lines and numbers in it). Left of that is the airspeed indicator (the red line is the stall speed, the blue line is the takeoff/ landing speed, and the red/white line is the "crap, my airplane is falling apart" speed). To the right of the Artificial Horizon is the altimeter. Below the altimeter is the climb indicator (which lets you know where your nose is pointing... very, very important for level flight). To the right of the climb indicator there is the column of smaller gauges. Fuel flow is the second line of gauges up from the bottom There, I just simplified the cockpit hehe. I was worried that by posting this image, some people might say "YUCK, too hard!" But it's really not rocket science hehe.


"In an interstellar burst, I'm back to save the universe"
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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 7th Aug 2006 23:08
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No... its worse! Its aeronautical science! It has killed more than rocket science!


Since the other one was scaring you guys so much...
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David T
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 00:48
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777s are even easier to fly. Just watch the PFD and the autopilot lights. Bingo

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Jeku
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 07:03
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I want this game now

Getting it tomorrow on loan--- a week will be enough for me to know whether I want to buy it


"I understand creative people. After all, I worked with towel designers." - Ray Kassar, former head of Atari
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Steve J
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 07:32
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It is very fun with a flightsim joystick. VERY.

http://www.milkpaton.com/
http://phoenixophelia.com
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