How Many Type Planes Do You Fly Or Keep?

[casey jones]

I wondered how many planes for FS8/9 do the members fly mostly or keep active? I mean will you just keep the best ones too and dump the rest? I think I would just keep a very small number that are very good performers..but it is hard to do as (I am always coming across something new, I fly a number of FS2000 planes in FS8 and keep a small number of the very good performers.

Cheers

Casey:wavey:

[EMatheson]

I keep what I fly... which means that some very high quality planes go by the wayside and will not make it into my next reinstall - and similarly that some not-so-great planes will always find a home on my HD...

[Desert Rat]

mmmm, difficult question, I have 3 installs of FS9, all of them with nothing but default and payware/ex-payware in them, always needed to add some choice freeware, but after getting 3Dlights/FSpassengers/etc, I have been setting them all up to take advantage of them, so never got around to the freeware yet, now I've just bought a new rig, so that'll be next, lol. Plus I keep stopping on my favs to tweak things, repaint them, etc. I love freeware, grew up on it, and there's plenty I want to try, but I like to tweak my fav payware to get the best from it, especially those that are potential hanger queens if they don't get some TLC. I'm a Scot, can't be seen to waste money, lol.

But, yeah, I have lots of planes installed across the sims, my mood changes frequently, keeps things interesting. I was selective you might say with installs (my stupidly large payware catalogue) so removing planes has been very limited.

Jamie

[OBIO]

I am a place collector...I have so many planes in my FS2004 install that it takes quite a while to start up because of all the plane info the program has to read. Not sure how many planes I have installed...but it isn't nearly as many as I have in my CFS2 install...which is close to 800 (not counting the nearly 300 jets in my CFS2 jet install).

OBIO

[jhefner]

I'm like OBIO, and with CFS1, CFS2, FS2002 AND FS2004 loaded on one or both of the two computers we have, I have a spreadsheet I use to make sure I don't keep downloading the same planes over and over. :bump:

I have 343 loaded in FS2002, which I have had the longest. Only 114 in FS2004; because I have only had it a few months, and am still setting it up. I have had CFS2 for the shortest length of time, so I only have 56 planes loaded in it; my old CFS1 install had 191 planes loaded in it.

My flight sim world is my "Virtual Museum"; I like having a wide variety planes to try out; even recognizing that at least internally or flight dynamics wise, some aren't very accurate. Since I got CFS2, I have moved a lot of the planes that came equipped with guns from FS2002 to CFS2 so we can break things and kill people with them. :greenf:

The only ones I have deleted are the ones that didn't work; or took up too much space at the time. (The FS2002/CFS2 PC is seven years old and stuffed full; even after trying to go through and clear out some stuff.)

-James

[huub vink]

Finally a question which is simple to answer......

Too much!!!

Cheers,
Huub

[Desert Rat]

Things also get complicated for me by the fact that if I have a plane I like, say a Phantom II that is painted in 111sqn, I like to go find some authentic scenery to fly it from, creating a flight that I can store for later, If I can't find decent scenery, I AFCAD away and use instant scenery to improve on the default.

Jamie

[edmoore235]

Ditto, with multiple computers, I have FS2000, FS2002, FS2004 and CFS2 installs. I fly mostly FS9 with default jets and much payware props. FS2000 is for some old special A/C only as 2000 models. The FS2002 has defaults and then some FS2002 only aircraft installed. I even have a copy of FS98 on an old computer! It was CFS2 that started it all so it do is loaded with many A/C...... I would guess all in all the count is way over 1,000 - I do evaluate various models and remove and add as needed. I attempt to match the A/C to the world location and year.... this is only a hobby? Take care.
Ed :applause:

[Willy]

Like Huub said, too many! I mainly fly only about a half dozen or so. But I've got about 1500 titles just for AI purposes.

[OBIO]

I just got FS2004 for Christmas this past year...so have only had it a bit over 4 months....and currently have 408 planes installed, with close to that many to be installed.

OBIO

[modelr]

too many :icon_lol: I'm an incurable collector :engel016:

I have a 250GB (232GB useable) hard drive just for freeware aircraft storage, (FSX (13.9GB) and FS08/09,(130GB), along with a few CFS2 aircraft,) 39.5GB of AI aircraft on another HDD, and 92.5GB of payware on a third HDD. These include textures and upgrades. Only about 15% of them have been loaded up and flown, so far. I only discard those that don't work, or can't be made into AI.
:monkies:

[CG_1976]

I lost count on my 3 tera byte hanger drive. 1 gig to each sim Fs9, FSX, X-plane. Id probably say at best guess I have 500 gigs at least in Fs9 aircraft/helos. Not going to even guess on FSX. 70 on the X-plane. 75% of my hanger are all coast guard aircraft paint from around the world and Cuban FAR and of course the Transload Coast Guard Divsion AC's and its concepts Deep Water.

[dandog]

Back to types, I fly GA, mostly the older ones, and prop-liners under 100 passenger. I keep my favorites in FS9, and the rest on DVD where they will be safe till I want them.:bump:

[Lionheart]

That is like asking me how many grains of sand are in my back yard, and expecting me to give you a general idea, lol...


:faint:



Bill

[OBIO]

I have some jets...but most of my planes are radial engine powered. General Aviation, Cargo, Passenger. I have some inline piston powered planes. Some military....mainly WW2 and before. Lots of amphib and float.

OBIO

[Wing_Z]

The truth can be quite sobering...where did one find the time for all these planes, in just two years??
I can never find it in my heart to give a plane the bullet, even if it's not really to my liking.
Some guy beavered away for hours and hours making it, another painted it, panels, sounds etc.
So it gets the "soft bullet" and goes in the backup hanger:

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h200/CHARL_photos/Flightsim%202/HJCAP632Medium.jpg

It's as well, because with the amount of AI planes necessary to keep the world real, there's only room for 20 or 30 flyable favourites.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h200/CHARL_photos/Flightsim%202/HJCAP631Medium.jpg

The sim is starting to take too long to load now, reading all those planes...

[Lionheart]

The sim is starting to take too long to load now, reading all those planes...
__________________
- Charl



Hey Charles,


I 'believe' that FS only loads looking at the default flight. Only when you go to select a plane does your 'well stocked' hanger selection seem to throw FS a 'wobbly' and take a large amount of time to open the 'bin' of birds. Otherwise, it should have no effect on opening FS itself.

Thats my humble understanding.. I might be wrong.

Its similar to land textures. It only opens those that it needs. If you go to select an area, then it might stumble.



Bill

[Wing_Z]

Not sure if it's just mine that does this...
I occasionally run filemon on a second monitor which shows you what files Windows is loading.
When you start FS, it reads all the planes.
When you go to the aircraft selection menu, it reads them all over again!
Lots of planes does seem to slow the process down.
The scenery does load only when called.
Even then, if you have texture duplications, it will load a scenery in Alabama, but take a moment to read sceneries in Poland, Hungary and Timbuktu...
I always find it a real pleasure to re-install FS9 with barebones planes, textures and scenery, and watch it go "Pop".
(Actually, on a second hard drive I always have just such an install which I use as a benchmark)
It's amazing to run a FS session and see how many zillions of files are processed all the while.
It's a wonder it runs at all, let alone at 25+fps...

[FengZ]

Not sure if it's just mine that does this...
I occasionally run filemon on a second monitor which shows you what files Windows is loading.
When you start FS, it reads all the planes.
When you go to the aircraft selection menu, it reads them all over again!
Lots of planes does seem to slow the process down.
The scenery does load only when called.
Even then, if you have texture duplications, it will load a scenery in Alabama, but take a moment to read sceneries in Poland, Hungary and Timbuktu...
I always find it a real pleasure to re-install FS9 with barebones planes, textures and scenery, and watch it go "Pop".
(Actually, on a second hard drive I always have just such an install which I use as a benchmark)
It's amazing to run a FS session and see how many zillions of files are processed all the while.
It's a wonder it runs at all, let alone at 25+fps...

Yup, it loads all the planes plus their repaints during the initial launch! So the more planes/repaints you have, the longer it will take FS9 to load (AI w/ lots of repaints is the main cause of slow load times).

I once did a test with just my planes installed (about 70), and FS9 took about 10 seconds from clicking the .exe to the select a flight screen. With AI installed (about 180 planes, each with dozens of repaints), FS9 took 2.5 minutes!

Last year, i did a super, extreme, clean install of FS9. I only have a few planes, and each has no more than 3 repaints (i usually just keep 1 repaint). I still have AI installed, so FS9 takes about 1.5min to load up. But the select plane screen is very fast - about 3-4 seconds to load.

I used to have hundreds of planes installed. But i find myself flying only a few of them. The rest just clutter harddrive space and slow load times. Now i only keep the planes i actually fly. I have about 10 freeware planes installed, and 20 or so payware....that's all.

-feng

[rpjkw]

I tend to collect. I have a file called 'Aircraft Hangar' on my F drive where I store those A/C that I either rarely fly or fly when the mood strikes. Still, I usually have around 50 aircraft within FS9 all the time.

Bob

[TARPSBird]

I have 158 planes in FS2004, mostly prop jobs but also a few jets. I have (had?) way more planes in CFS2, unfortunately they are now stranded on my malfunctioning external hard drive. :banghead:
I'm an impulsive downloader - if I see a new version of one of my favorites or a unique or stylish plane I grab it. And we all have our favorite plane makers whose stuff we always d/l because we know it's gonna be good.

[Tom Clayton]

I have a storage folder on another drive with over 200 more, but this is a screenie of the first part of my Aircraft folder. All of my non Transload aircraft are prefixed to keep them separated from my defaults. That makes them easier to manage. I have the categories I like to fly covered by most of the better quality aircraft available. There's still a few that I rarely fly, but I just can't bring myself to mothball any more. I end up saying "Well, I might actually fly that one later...":isadizzy:

Note the size of the scroll bar - ALL of the current Transload inventory stays loaded so that I don't have to go swapping around aircraft folder during on online flight. That way, if someone jumps on the server, as long as they haven't monkeyed around with the title lines, I'll see them correctly.

Edit - the pic might help!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/tomclayton/simshots/folder090507.jpg

[Henry]

i have a hold folder that i keep
a lot in
i just swap in and out
H

[jhefner]

The planes in my hanger range from my 1800s steam powered flimsies to the latest jets, and every flyable (and not so flyable) craft in between. I mostly fly prop planes, with the round engined ones being my favorite. My skills and my framerates have only recently gotten good enough to where I can fly a jet VFR from Dallas to Houston; but my energy management skills have not gotten good enough to where I can land and stop within the airport fence. :gameoff:

-Jams

[Alain_F355]

My install has about 100 planes. I only fly planes with a good VC. I try not to add to many so I can get decent airtime in all of them. Most of them are warbirds or early fighter jets. Then some helicopters and only a few GA aircraft.

[Wing_Z]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/tomclayton/simshots/folder090507.jpg

Matter of interest Tom, I see your aircraft folder lists 60MB of files.
I have none - what do you keep in there?

[alastairmonk]

Hi,

I also have to put my hand up and admit to having a huge hangar ! I use the ancient-but-still-workable Jab2000 to keep track of what I have (the majority of which have their own thumbnails for aircraft/livery and panel) and last time I noted the "totals" I had around 3000 aircraft listed, maybe 20-25% of which are AI.

Mad, I know, but with all the splendid repaints for the Shockwave/A2A P-51, Bf109, P-47 etc. and fleets of AlphaSim Harvards and MAAM-Sim Dakotas of all sub-types I take as much enjoyment over flying the various different liveries as flying the planes themselves, and put up with the long FS2004 load times and extended pauses needed when switching planes/liveries.

In fact I firmly lay the blame at the doors of the Outhouse. If it wasn't for all you wonderfully skilled repainters, life would be a lot simpler, and FS2004 would load much faster. Life would also be very much more dull .....

Alastair

[alastairmonk]

Matter of interest Tom, I see your aircraft folder lists 60MB of files.
I have none - what do you keep in there?

Hi Charl,

In FS2004 the \Aircraft sub-folder is where all the aircraft are located. If your \FS2004\Aircraft folder is empty, where do you keep yours ?

Cheers,

Alastair

[Terry]

Hi,

I also have to put my hand up and admit to having a huge hangar ! I use the ancient-but-still-workable Jab2000 to keep track of what I have (the majority of which have their own thumbnails for aircraft/livery and panel) and last time I noted the "totals" I had around 3000 aircraft listed, maybe 20-25% of which are AI.

Alastair

I would really like to know how you got JAB2000 to work. When I tried it did not work correctly. I can't remember what was wrong as it was a couple years ago. I wish Jackie would redo it I would gladly pay for it.

[Cazzie]

All of them, but seriously, only about 50 in FS9 itself at any one time (helps initial loading), the others are moved to a folder on the external drive until called forth.

Caz

[Wing_Z]

Hi Charl,
In FS2004 the \Aircraft sub-folder is where all the aircraft are located. If your \FS2004\Aircraft folder is empty, where do you keep yours ?
Cheers,
Alastair
Alastair, I have plenty of aircraft sub-folders in there - 729 to be exact, which translates to about 8,000 individual liveries, mostly AI.
I was talking about files.
Tell a lie, I do have 2 files: airlines.cfg and kneeboard_keys.htm for a total of 72kb.
I was wondering what other files you'd have lying around in the aircraft root folder to get to 60MB.

[aeromed202]

Gawd must at least a *&%* load. I get in moods for a certain type or types so I have a wide variety. Especially when I see something at an airport, kinda gives it that reality surge and makes me want to DL it and check it out. And since I often modify the CFGs I keep backups of all the improvements. Have an ext HD pretty much just for FS. But I am also paring down the active list so FS starts up faster. Course the recent long awaited vid upgrade to GE 9400 helped!

[alastairmonk]

Alastair, I have plenty of aircraft sub-folders in there - 729 to be exact, which translates to about 8,000 individual liveries, mostly AI.
I was talking about files.
Tell a lie, I do have 2 files: airlines.cfg and kneeboard_keys.htm for a total of 72kb.
I was wondering what other files you'd have lying around in the aircraft root folder to get to 60MB.

Good question. A check on my own Aircraft folder shows the following "loose files" (see screenshot)

Alastair

[alastairmonk]

I would really like to know how you got JAB2000 to work. When I tried it did not work correctly. I can't remember what was wrong as it was a couple years ago. I wish Jackie would redo it I would gladly pay for it.

Hi Terry,

I think I "fooled it" into thinking that FS2004 was FS2000 using the VisuallFlight "Toolkit" and FS2002-is-Here. Certainly I have FS2000.exe and FS2002.EXE in my parent FS2004 folder. If you need them (they're only 33kb apiece) let me know.

Alastair

[WarHorse47]

By count, I have 19.2 Gb of aircraft folders. Total count around 322 which includes about 74 for AI from addons including My Traffic 2004.

I have about twice as many hangared on my F: drive or burned onto CDs. I swap the out continuously, but if I haven't blown them for awhile they get burned off to a CD.

--WH

[Buddha13]

Hi all,
I took a quick look.I have 1588 a/c folders in the FS9 a/c folder.Of these 437 are various a/i a/c folders.Now this does not count multiple skins in each folder.So there is alot.I am abit of a hoarder.with a/c.

Buddha13

[Tom Clayton]

Matter of interest Tom, I see your aircraft folder lists 60MB of files.
I have none - what do you keep in there?
That size quote is for any files not contained in deeper sub folders. I double-checked and found a couple of stray items at the end of the list. With the three stock files left (dots.gif, kneeboard_keys.htm, airlines.cfg), that number is down to 72.1 KB.

[Wing_Z]

I deleted dots.gif when I cleaned out my folders - what's it do?

[Tom Clayton]

Beats me - but at only 40 bytes, I didn't see a reason to delete it. It may be part of the menu interface somewhere, or it could be one of those things left over from the development phase that they forgot to delete.