Some things I've noticed
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Thread: Some things I've noticed

  1. #1

    Some things I've noticed

    Overall I'm pleased with X-Plane 11 and there are many things I like about it. . .there are also some things I've noticed over time and learned from asking specific questions. For instance, one of the "side hobbies" for many of us in FSX (and P3D) is modifying the VC of our favorite airplanes. A simple task if you have FSPanel Studio. . .however in X-Plane, while it isn't impossible it is extremely difficult unless you have the source files for the airplane. It seems that in order to change anything in the VC you must work within the program that the airplane was built with (PlaneMaker, Sketchup, Blender, GMax, etc), and build whatever gauge or instrument you wish to add.

    Freeware aircraft, especially those built with PlaneMaker are of lesser quality than freeware we have for FSX. The developers certainly should be congratulated on their efforts, but the fact is they aren't as well done or as detailed as those in FSX. Some freeware developers also work in Blender or GMax, but even those don't have the same details I see in FSX Freeware. I went looking for new airplanes yesterday and found 4 I liked and had flown in FSX over the years. None of them had a VC nor was there a pilot figure in the external view. Also, a few of those had parts missing despite being made for XP11. If you go to Payware the quality goes up considerably as you would expect. I should also say that not all freeware is of lower quality. I have found some that are nicely done, but I suggest you look them over closely either way.

    Because X-Plane 11 is a true Simulator, you should be able to read your cockpit gauges, adjust them as necessary (manually) and know what the gauges are telling you. . .because while you can hover over the gauges to get information (this requires a box in the setup to be checked), it will only tell you what the gauge is and what it's for. . .it won't tell you any current information as you're flying.
    If you wish to change aircraft while in flight. . .nope, can't do that. . .you must start a new flight and be aware that you should select the airport you wish to start from (I tried it yesterday and failed to setup the airport. . .it put me on Midway Island in the middle of the Pacific, lol).

    Finally, if you thought FSX/P3D ATC was bad. . .wait till you try XP's version, lol

    Most of this is known to anyone who has been flying X-Plane for any length of time, but I thought it was worth mentioning for anyone who might be considering moving to XP. Bottom line is (there's always a bottom line) it's a good Simulator that forces you to be a better pilot because the shortcuts we have in FSX aren't there (using the "B" and "D" keystrokes to reset altimeter and compass) and so you must work with ATC (to get your current Altimeter setting) and pay attention to Radio Freq changes (I think this can be done automatically if you are using ATC).

    Enjoy!!
    USAF Retired, 301st Fighter Wing, Carswell AFB, Texas
    My SOH Uploads: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...erid=83&sort=d

    Current System Specs:
    FSX/Accel | Windows10 64bit
    Motherboard: MSI760GM-E51(MS-7596)
    CPU: 3.9GHz AMD FX-4300 Quad-Core | RAM: 16GB DDR3 1333
    GPU: NVidia GTX 970 (4GB GDDR5)

  2. #2
    Hey Ed, I picked up XP 11 in Steam’s recent Lunar sale (and then grabbed GB South in ORBX’s Valentine’s sale a few days later) so I am on the learning curve and soaking up tips and advice wherever I can find it.

    The ORBX opportunity aside, I’m in no rush to load it up with aircraft and sceneries, so I note what you’re saying about checking twice re: some XP freeware aircraft quality. I grabbed the (donationware) vFlyteAir Navion a couple of days ago - mostly to see whether the default aircraft give you a false read on fps.

    You say you can’t change planes mid-flight, but I read that if you press the ‘I’ key it brings up an ‘instructor’ menu that allows you to change plane, weather and time of day on the fly (as it were). I haven’t effected a change using it, but when I keyed ‘I’, the menu did pop up as advertised - try it!

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by falcon409 View Post
    For instance, one of the "side hobbies" for many of us in FSX (and P3D) is modifying the VC of our favorite airplanes. A simple task if you have FSPanel Studio. . .however in X-Plane, while it isn't impossible it is extremely difficult unless you have the source files for the airplane.
    The rules for FSX and XP11 are the same: If the VC panel is 2D, you can swap out instruments. If it has 3D gauge bezels, your swapping options are correspondingly limited. If it's 3D, you'll have to modify the model file to get something new in.

    Freeware aircraft, especially those built with PlaneMaker are of lesser quality than freeware we have for FSX. The developers certainly should be congratulated on their efforts, but the fact is they aren't as well done or as detailed as those in FSX. Some freeware developers also work in Blender or GMax, but even those don't have the same details I see in FSX Freeware. I went looking for new airplanes yesterday and found 4 I liked and had flown in FSX over the years. None of them had a VC nor was there a pilot figure in the external view. Also, a few of those had parts missing despite being made for XP11. If you go to Payware the quality goes up considerably as you would expect. I should also say that not all freeware is of lower quality. I have found some that are nicely done, but I suggest you look them over closely either way.
    This is a good thing as you won't have to decide what to fly from a selection of a billion aircraft.

    Because X-Plane 11 is a true Simulator, you should be able to read your cockpit gauges, adjust them as necessary (manually) and know what the gauges are telling you. . .because while you can hover over the gauges to get information (this requires a box in the setup to be checked), it will only tell you what the gauge is and what it's for. . .it won't tell you any current information as you're flying.

    If you wish to change aircraft while in flight. . .nope, can't do that. . .you must start a new flight and be aware that you should select the airport you wish to start from (I tried it yesterday and failed to setup the airport. . .it put me on Midway Island in the middle of the Pacific, lol).
    That nagged me too in the beginning, but by now, I don't mind.

    One thing I sometimes really miss is slewing.


    ...because the shortcuts we have in FSX aren't there (using the "B" and "D" keystrokes to reset altimeter and compass) and so you must work with ATC (to get your current Altimeter setting) and pay attention to Radio Freq changes (I think this can be done automatically if you are using ATC).
    There are LUA scripts for matching Kohlsman setting, which can be assigned to the "B" and "D" keys. It's a bit more effort, but doable.

    Yes, default and 124th ATC feature (optional) auto-tuning.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by falcon409 View Post
    If you wish to change aircraft while in flight. . .nope, can't do that. . .you must start a new flight and be aware that you should select the airport you wish to start from (I tried it yesterday and failed to setup the airport. . .it put me on Midway Island in the middle of the Pacific, lol).
    I've been reading this all over the place and it seems it isn't common knowledge (yet) that one can just press the "I" key to show the instructor panel and hey presto in the listing to the left you can change your aircraft "on-the-fly"

  5. #5
    er . . . yeah, or - you could take Mike's word for it (!)

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Portia911 View Post
    You say you can’t change planes mid-flight, but I read that if you press the ‘I’ key it brings up an ‘instructor’ menu that allows you to change plane, weather and time of day on the fly (as it were). I haven’t effected a change using it, but when I keyed ‘I’, the menu did pop up as advertised - try it!
    Quote Originally Posted by MikeM View Post
    I've been reading this all over the place and it seems it isn't common knowledge (yet) that one can just press the "I" key to show the instructor panel and hey presto in the listing to the left you can change your aircraft "on-the-fly"
    Thank you both for the info. I still have a lot to learn concerning what I've always been used to with FSX and how differently they are handled in X-Plane.
    USAF Retired, 301st Fighter Wing, Carswell AFB, Texas
    My SOH Uploads: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...erid=83&sort=d

    Current System Specs:
    FSX/Accel | Windows10 64bit
    Motherboard: MSI760GM-E51(MS-7596)
    CPU: 3.9GHz AMD FX-4300 Quad-Core | RAM: 16GB DDR3 1333
    GPU: NVidia GTX 970 (4GB GDDR5)

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Bjoern View Post
    The rules for FSX and XP11 are the same: If the VC panel is 2D, you can swap out instruments. If it has 3D gauge bezels, your swapping options are correspondingly limited. If it's 3D, you'll have to modify the model file to get something new in.
    Agreed and it was only 2D gauge VC components that I would swap out even in FSX, but I got the distinct impression that there are no such animals in the XP world. My question to them was. . ."Is it possible to swap gauges/components in the VC", and their combined short answer was "No". I didn't specify 2D (placeholder style gauges) or 3D. . .just could this be done. . .their response tells me that there are only 3D cockpits. . .otherwise I would think they would have said, "If it's 2D you're working with, then yes. . .otherwise no".

    Quote Originally Posted by Bjoern View Post
    One thing I sometimes really miss is slewing.
    There is a Slew plugin that works very well.
    USAF Retired, 301st Fighter Wing, Carswell AFB, Texas
    My SOH Uploads: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...erid=83&sort=d

    Current System Specs:
    FSX/Accel | Windows10 64bit
    Motherboard: MSI760GM-E51(MS-7596)
    CPU: 3.9GHz AMD FX-4300 Quad-Core | RAM: 16GB DDR3 1333
    GPU: NVidia GTX 970 (4GB GDDR5)

  8. #8
    Tested the instructor station yesterday and lo and behold, plane changes do work. Haven't tried teleporting though.
    I am ankle deep in Lua scripting, yet don't know about the most basic features. Talk about expert's idiocy.



    Quote Originally Posted by falcon409 View Post
    There is a Slew plugin that works very well.
    Is that the one that firmly occupies the "Y" key?

  9. #9
    do ya have to be an expert to be an idiot?...im pretty safe then eh?

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Bjoern View Post
    Tested the instructor station yesterday and lo and behold, plane changes do work. Haven't tried teleporting though.
    I am ankle deep in Lua scripting, yet don't know about the most basic features. Talk about expert's idiocy.


    Is that the one that firmly occupies the "Y" key?
    Bjoern it has a small pop-up that displays and allows you to select a direction to slew, I've been using that but I'll check to see what other options there might be for mapping to a keystroke.
    USAF Retired, 301st Fighter Wing, Carswell AFB, Texas
    My SOH Uploads: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...erid=83&sort=d

    Current System Specs:
    FSX/Accel | Windows10 64bit
    Motherboard: MSI760GM-E51(MS-7596)
    CPU: 3.9GHz AMD FX-4300 Quad-Core | RAM: 16GB DDR3 1333
    GPU: NVidia GTX 970 (4GB GDDR5)

  11. #11
    The Instructor's station allows changes to planes, time, weather, and more, in flight.

    It also allows for dragging your plane within the limits of the IOS map, thus "short" slewing by mouse drag.
    One other handy feature in map and IOS is the ability to tune selected Navaids by clicking on a blue button that appears after the selection.

    All in all it's quite useful, used on my second monitor in fullscreen.

    Between plane changes, livery changes using the flight configuration menu, and developer commands to reload art and plane, livery paint updates can be viewed in flight very easily.

  12. #12
    Well while we’re sweating the small stuff, does anyone know how to push-back an at-rest GA aircraft?

    I’ve seen key assignment options for calling and releasing an airline ‘tug’ (or whatever those flat-top vehicles are called), but that’s not appropriate for a C172. It was shift+P in FSX (press to commence push-back, then press again to stop).

  13. #13

  14. #14
    It's that one, but looking at Super Slew. . .might be a better choice.
    USAF Retired, 301st Fighter Wing, Carswell AFB, Texas
    My SOH Uploads: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...erid=83&sort=d

    Current System Specs:
    FSX/Accel | Windows10 64bit
    Motherboard: MSI760GM-E51(MS-7596)
    CPU: 3.9GHz AMD FX-4300 Quad-Core | RAM: 16GB DDR3 1333
    GPU: NVidia GTX 970 (4GB GDDR5)

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Bjoern View Post
    Portia:

    There are several pushback scripts or plugins, but I don't know which of them is suitable for GA airplanes.

    https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php...ack-refueling/ (Python script)
    https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php...epushback-8xx/ (Python script)
    https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php...8-ez-pushback/ (Plugin)
    https://github.com/skiselkov/BetterPushbackC/releases (Plugin)
    Thanks Bjoern - surprised it’s not an in-game function, but at least I know where to look now.

  16. #16
    According to the general XP philosophy, a default pushback feature would require a towbar and animated pilot model and not a mere "invisible hand" as in MSFS.

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