richts
Almost Aviator
Posts: 21 
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Post by richts on Feb 21, 2015 21:51:46 GMT
Scott
Thanks for the kudos, question on your stick mod were you able to get the harness inside the extension shaft? I'm having a challenge finding tubing the size I need to fit over the base shaft (.54). I have what I need to tackle the wiring but don't want to start until I have the rest figured out. Dont want to be without the stick any longer than it takes to do the mod.
On another note when I read back through my posts I see my spelling and word drops are a lol. I use a tablet with touch key so I need to be more diligent about editing before posting.
Went to formation flying ground school this morning very helpful and enlightening, well worth the time.
Regards
Rich
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Post by ScottB on Feb 21, 2015 23:32:08 GMT
Really Mark?! That picture is doctored right? You get to ride over that landscape? I thought Orbx had their scenery colors wrong, but I guess that type of countryside really does exits!  Not doctored, although that isn't typical weather! Earlier that same day: This is the same scenery, give or take about ten miles, that features in this video: Wow! Those kind of videos make me cringe! I'm glad he made it through it OK, kept calm, flew the airplane.
And the scenery still looks inviting. No moisture here. No mountains. Flat, windy, brown, hot and dry most of the time. Not as threatening for an engine out, I guess.
That's a nice bike, btw.
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Post by ScottB on Feb 21, 2015 23:58:47 GMT
Scott Thanks for the kudos, question on your stick mod were you able to get the harness inside the extension shaft? I'm having a challenge finding tubing the size I need to fit over the base shaft (.54). I have what I need to tackle the wiring but don't want to start until I have the rest figured out. Dont want to be without the stick any longer than it takes to do the mod. On another note when I read back through my posts I see my spelling and word drops are a lol. I use a tablet with touch key so I need to be more diligent about editing before posting. Went to formation flying ground school this morning very helpful and enlightening, well worth the time. Regards Rich Hi Rich. I had to look at my original pics to recall the wiring I dealt with. Looks to be about eight wires, in a sheath. I'm pretty sure I used Cat5 network cable to fish through the PVC pipe, which wasn't too difficult. The inside diameter of the PVC pipe was very close to the outer diameter of the joystick post so, I was lucky in that respect. I may have wrapped the joystick post with electric tape or something to shim it a bit tighter but, I don't think I used any other form of shim. Sad that I can't remember more clearly! Unfortunately, the pictures I took of the project were a "first" attempt. I actually bought another joystick later and tried it again! I have no photos of the second attempt. The Logitech joystick is pretty cheap though, and certainly not as rare as the MS FFB stick. Of course I drilled straight through the post and the PVC pipe (using caution in regards to the internal wiring) and fastened it with a screw/nut. The handle: Well, I found "something" that was the same diameter of the joystick post that worked to install the handle up top, I think it was a smaller diameter PVC pipe. Sorry I'm not more helpful. Here is a link to the photos I have, they will be of little use because it's not a MS FFB and I took them to remind me how to reassemble if I screwed up! haha. www.dropbox.com/sh/4k80wn888l0eze0/AAAyZuYrE-UA41GchNsbUcJja?dl=0
No worries about the messages. We all make typos!
Scott
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richts
Almost Aviator
Posts: 21
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Post by richts on Feb 22, 2015 1:01:02 GMT
And no need for apologises about this pics, just having you share is a help. I might better if i didn't use the msffb but its shady i have and i like the feed back. I'll take a pic at the start and hope to show what i go through.
My first hurdle will be shaft size will keep you posted this my consume thd next few days but that beats setting on the curb at the end of the driveway lol
Rich
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Post by ScottB on Feb 22, 2015 2:20:09 GMT
Look forward to your progress. A good (newer) force-feedback joystick is missing from our hobby so I'm tempted to buy the MS version on ebay. Keep us posted. Scott
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richts
Almost Aviator
Posts: 21
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Post by richts on Feb 28, 2015 2:06:04 GMT
Well now I have a setback, crash I think is the term. It affected near total loss of use of fsx and also major changes in the os couldnt even do a restore. Finally concluded to format the the drive fsx was on and repair at least part of the changes to the os. Did a fresh fsx on the D: at least now without fsxse and pr3d on the same drive should cut down any confusion , still having trouble with trkir and (factory) panel because spad is an issue also.
It really is discouraging when I was just at a point when I was enjoying it more than tweeking.
Well now the long climb through the config process.
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Post by ScottB on Feb 28, 2015 3:23:17 GMT
Well now I have a setback, crash I think is the term. It affected near total loss of use of fsx and also major changes in the os couldnt even do a restore. Finally concluded to format the the drive fsx was on and repair at least part of the changes to the os. Did a fresh fsx on the D: at least now without fsxse and pr3d on the same drive should cut down any confusion , still having trouble with trkir and (factory) panel because spad is an issue also. It really is discouraging when I was just at a point when I was enjoying it more than tweeking. Well now the long climb through the config process. Oh man, that's too bad! Sorry to hear that. Have you considered running some type of HD back up program like Ghost or something? I typically make an image of my drive when everything is working well, before installing something major. |
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richts
Almost Aviator
Posts: 21
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Post by richts on Feb 28, 2015 14:28:54 GMT
Well sure something to give serious thought to
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richts
Almost Aviator
Posts: 21
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Post by richts on Mar 4, 2015 3:16:11 GMT
Started from ground zero on all hard drives, but at this point os up, fsx up a2a j-3 and american champ (really like the tundra version, fly it the most) installed. Tomm new 3.0 usb card and 3.0 usb10 port hub should arrive, then on to plugging in one controller at a time, get it up, and then on to the next.
Still have fsuipc, tracker ir5 and ezdoc I think in that order to install. Don't plan on using fsuipc for controllers this time only as ezdoc companion. The settings for the controllers worked well before through fsx so will go back to what works. What I have up so far looks good, what a curve but just maybe this will be better in the long run. I know I'm not going to have as many addons as before even though they are paid for. I think for now less is better. Really want as good as possible flight sim experience as can be had for the money I can invest. This is still cheaper than RW and safer for trying out new or different experiences.
Open to opinions or suggestions
Regards
Rich
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Post by mattgugel on Sept 8, 2015 9:54:05 GMT
Hi Mark and other members,
I'm from Sydney, Australia and have followed your videos etc, and have purchased and read over your book MANY times now.
I'm in the process of starting a cockpit, and like many other still cannot settle on exactly which build. I do want to build a full 737 NG cockpit and also a GA pit.
For now, I am starting on building a C208B Grand Caravan cockpit, and am going to use a mixture of real gauges ( like from flight illusion ) and also panel overlays.
Right now I am using all the Saitek stuff - pro yoke, pedals, 2 x throttles, 2 x radio/nav, multi, switch.
PC: i7 4790k, ASUS z97 Deluxe 3.1, 16GB Corsair Vengeance, Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti G1 6GB graphics, Corsair Obsidian 750D case, NZXT Kraken X61 cooler, Corsair AX 850 PSU, Samsung 850 pro 500GB SSD, 3TB Barracuda HD, Win 7 pro 64 bit. Track IR, Turtlebeach Z60 ears. 27" widescreen monitor, but use 50" HDTV.
I use Xplane mostly with the HD Mesh, and fly Alaska, SoCal, NZ, Australia and Nepal the most. Current favourite planes are Carenado C208B, FlyJSim Dash 8 Q400, JRollon BAE 32. I just got FSX Steam last week, and am now flying the Twin Otter extended of course. FSX is so different to Xplane!!!.
I'm also seriously considering to invest in both a CNC router and a Laser cutter.
After reading and watching your videos - I am not so apprehensive about making my own panels.
I really want to start off with making a GNS530, as the Emuteq is too expensive!, and also design and build the C208 throttle quadrant, using the base kit from Gwyn of Aerosim here in Perth Australia. It is a real shame that there is virtually no sim hardware being made/available here in OZ.
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Post by MarkH on Sept 8, 2015 17:23:26 GMT
After reading and watching your videos - I am not so apprehensive about making my own panels. I really want to start off with making a GNS530, as the Emuteq is too expensive!, and also design and build the C208 throttle quadrant, using the base kit from Gwyn of Aerosim here in Perth Australia. It is a real shame that there is virtually no sim hardware being made/available here in OZ. Hello Matt. I think we all suffer from not living is the US when it comes to buying hardware, although we do have a few options from mainland europe. The Aerosim (Oz) site looks like they are serious about what they do! As for your choice of aircraft, I think it's a more realistic option than something on the scale of a 737. Actually I would be very inteersted to hear how the turboprop engine modelling compares between FSX and X-Plane. I don't have X-Plane but I really get tired of how much lag there is in the FSX turboprops. When I fly the Flight1 Twin Otter or a single like the Realair Scout I find it so much more 'seat of the pants' because the engines react to your inputs in a way that, say, the Twin Otter's don't. Anyway, good luck with the GNS530. BTW, if you are thinking of going P3D, you may want to consider whether to go with Reality-XP or Mindstar for the software. As far as I can tell RXP does not work on P3D and is no longer being developed. That said, the RXP GNS530 works great on FSX for the most part (although I just discovered the fuel planner doesn't work properly with the Twin Otter) and I am thinking of buying the W500 weather radar and building a panel for that too! |
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Post by JamesSR on Feb 1, 2016 22:56:58 GMT
TWENTY MEMBERS, SIX CHECK-INS! Come on folks, don't be shy Hi, Mark – I’m late in my reply, but I thought I should get to it! My name is James. I’m 53 years old and live in San Jose, California, USA. I became an aviation enthusiast in the early ‘80s when my father earned his private pilot certificate. Around that time, I acquired an Atari 1200XL 8-bit computer and Sublogic’s Flight Simulator II. Soon, I upgraded to an Atari Mega ST, and, shortly after, started attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at their Prescott, AZ campus, where I logged my whopping 16.2 hours total time in C-172N/Qs before running out of money after a year’s time. Although I’ve tried to keep my aviation knowledge current through ground schools, seminars, and much reading, I have never been able to continue my flight training and I relegated my Atari ST to a music-only machine which controlled my MIDI sequencing setup. In the early ‘90s, I purchased my first Windows machine and with a later upgrade to Windows 95, I purchased Flight Simulator for Windows 95, the first version of Flight Simulator I acquired since Flight Simulator II for the Atari ST. Although I only dabbled with simulation, I continued purchasing each new version of Flight Simulator as it was released – 98, 2000, and 2002. It wasn’t until my purchase of Flight Simulator 2004, with its improved real-time weather engine, ATC, and VC that I actually started diving in. After spending a wad of cash on scenery upgrades, I previewed Flight Simulator X at the AOPA summit in Palm Springs at the end of 2006. Out of the box, I liked the way it looked and felt better than 2004 with everything I had added. So, I purchased FSX and, after many comparison flights, abandoned 2004 and have never looked back. Currently, I am into the GA training aircraft, mostly flying the A2A C-172 and C182 out of/into small GA airfields. I own every Orbx product available for North America and, inspired mostly by your Twin Otter cockpit project, I am currently reconfiguring my own simpit to resemble the two A2A aircraft I previously mentioned. On the real aviation side of things, I’m finally putting the 30 years of rusty aviation knowledge to good use by getting my Ground Instructor certification. I’ve passed the knowledge test and am working on the Fundamentals of Instruction test, which I hope to have completed by spring of this year. Ciao! |
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MattS
Almost Aviator
Posts: 27
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Post by MattS on Apr 25, 2016 1:44:07 GMT
I'm Matt and I live in Florida. I've been flying FS since FS2002, but i did have the DOS game as a kid on my Compaq "suitcase" computer. I remember the manual having fold-out charts of the northeast USA. In real life, I started lessons at 14, solo'd at 16 and got my private's at 17. Off to aeronautical university, where my life took me in a different direction. Now I fly sim only and I am very content with that.
I took a few years off from FS due to work, etc. but now I am back into it full speed with FSX-SE. About 6 months ago I finished a sim-only computer and recently added a 3 monitor setup. I have had the yoke / rudder pedal before, but fight now I am playing around with the Sidewinder FF2 joystick (very cool). I've got the CH throttle quadrant and a few GoFlight panels.
I fell in love with the Twin Otter Extended and stumbled across your YouTube videos (which I binge watched). Right now, I'm doing the PNG bush flying scenery and the 40 tour flights. Other add-ons are FS Global 2012, Rex 4, FTX Global Base, FSUIPC, Linda, and others...
My next addition will be the Trackir 5.
Thanks for creating this forum!
Matt
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Post by MarkH on Apr 25, 2016 6:43:11 GMT
Right now, I'm doing the PNG bush flying scenery and the 40 tour flights Hello Matt. I did buy the second round of PNG scenery but as always I haven't made the time to really fly it properly. Too much tinkering! |
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MattS
Almost Aviator
Posts: 27
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Post by MattS on Apr 26, 2016 1:22:20 GMT
Flying and tinkering are equally rewarding! I was amazed and the night and day difference adding FS Global and FTX Global Base did for PNG flying. Low and slow dodging mountain peaks is definitely the way to go! And I have yet to see a rancher on horseback with the default FSX scenery, or had to dodge bird strikes |
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